


Another Year, Another Chance

by Contrail



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: F/M, Reunions, Romance, Separations
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-27
Updated: 2018-03-16
Packaged: 2018-09-12 16:49:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 31,398
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9081136
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Contrail/pseuds/Contrail
Summary: After losing her magic due to injuries sustained during the fight against Tartarus, Juvia Lockser disappeared when Fairy Tail disbanded. Three years later Gray Fullbuster finally runs into her again. Will he able to convince her to return to him and Fairy Tail, or will she slip through his fingers again?





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> **Disclaimer:** Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima, and is being used without permission. No profit is being made from this story.

Gray stared out the window of the carriage at the passing countryside as they wended their way towards Crocus, but his attention was more on his own thoughts and memories than what he was actually looking at. Returning to Crocus for the Grand Magic Games reminded him of the last time he'd participated in them, three years before. Two years ago Fairy Tail had been disbanded and didn't participate, though that hadn't stopped Natsu from melting the stadium. Last year no games were held because they were still repairing the damage Natsu had caused (and trying to find a way to avoid a repeat of that incident).

For those reasons, the X791 Grand Magic Games had been the first and so far the last ones that Fairy Tail had participated in since the return from Tenrou Island. Back then, they'd been feeling the pressure of wanting to restore the guild's reputation, Raven Tail and Sabertooth had caused a lot of problems, and then there'd been the dragons invading after their victory… But there'd been good times, too, and a number of them had involved a certain blue-haired water mage, whether they were just spending time in each other's company (until Lyon had to butt in where he wasn't wanted) or fighting together (and how sweet that had been, their magic mixing together so perfectly to take out Lyon and Chelia and help propel their team to victory).

Little had he known then, that Juvia would end up disappearing from his life entirely just a short time later. The last time he'd seen her had been during the fight against Tartarus, when he'd saved Gajeel from the demon who'd poisoned Laxus. He'd barely paid any attention to her then - focused on defeating Tartarus, he'd assumed that she wasn't any more hurt than the others. It wasn't until after he'd gone to visit his hometown and returned to Magnolia to find the guild disbanded that he learned the truth. That she'd been poisoned by magic barrier particles in the process of defeating one of the demons and nearly died.

She hadn't made it through that trial unscathed - she may not have lost her life, but her ability to use magic had been destroyed. Juvia had long since left Magnolia by the time he'd made it back. Sighing, he reached into a hidden inner pocket of his jacket and pulled out a letter, the creases where it was folded well-worn from the number of times he'd read it over the years.

Written on the sheet were the following words:

> Dear friends,
> 
> Since Juvia is no longer a mage, she has decided to leave Fairy Tail. She truly enjoyed her time among you all, and she will never regret having joined this guild. Her memories of all of you will always have a special place in her heart.
> 
> Gajeel-kun, please take care of yourself. Juvia is sorry she will no longer be there to support you, but you have many more people to rely on than just her now.
> 
> Gray-sama, Juvia won't be bothering you any longer. She is sorry for everything.
> 
> With love,  
>  Juvia Lockser

He sighed again. Juvia had left this letter with Lucy, who had agreed to let him keep it. Even after studying this letter for three years, Gray still didn't understand her last words to him. Sure, her more enthusiastic advances had made him uncomfortable, but he'd still rather have to deal with them than to not have her around at all. It didn't make sense for her to suddenly regret having done those things, either, when she'd never been reluctant to show her love for him before. Nor did the loss of her magic seem reason enough for her to cut her ties with her guildmates and friends completely. He had a feeling that there was something about this situation he was missing, but for the life of him he couldn't figure out what.

Since she disappeared, he'd looked for her everywhere he went, hoping to stumble across her, but he hadn't been able to even catch a glimpse of her. When Fairy Tail had come back together a year after they'd disbanded, a small part of him had hoped she'd hear about it and try to get in contact with the guild, but no such luck. He'd asked the rest of the guild to keep an eye out for her when they went out on jobs, but even nearly three years after she disappeared, there'd been no sign of her. It seemed like she truly didn't want to be found. If only he hadn't been so wrapped up in his own feelings back then. Maybe things would've turned out differently if he'd been there when she woke up…

As he folded Juvia's letter back up and put it away, he noticed Lucy giving him a sympathetic look, which he did his best to ignore. Everyone in the guild missed Juvia and wished that she would return, but Gray and Gajeel were the two that searched for her the hardest and were the most affected by her absence. She'd been the first close friend Gajeel had had, practically his little sister, and Gray… Well, everyone thought that friendship wasn't the only thing he'd felt for her, and he'd long ago stopped trying to argue the point.

The truth of it was, they were right, though that was something he hadn't been ready to acknowledge yet back then. Three years of missing her had helped him figure out his own feelings. Before she'd left, he hadn't truly realized how enmeshed in his life she'd become. He'd think of something he wanted to share with her, only to feel a pang in his heart when he remembered that he had no idea if he'd ever see her again. He still half-expected her to come up and greet him when he returned from missions, smiling brightly at her 'Gray-sama' and wanting to know how the mission had gone. He longed for her company, and the warmth of love and affection that she had always offered so freely to him, that he had wanted and needed yet had been too afraid of losing to accept. Now that she was out of his reach, he regretted passing up his chance to indulge in it.

Maybe he would've been able to let go of her better if he'd had a chance to say goodbye to Juvia in person, had her explain her reasons for leaving in a way he could understand, instead of leaving him with nothing but a cryptic note. It didn't help that it kind of felt like the whole guild was turning into couples around him. Erza and Jellal had married, and were even expecting a child, and many others were engaged or at least dating. Even Natsu and Lucy had finally gotten a clue and admitted they were in love with each other. But seeing so many of his friends happy together just made him feel Juvia's absence more keenly.

Gray often thought about where she might be and what she might be doing, if she was okay. He knew that she was a strong woman who could take care of herself, but with the loss of her magic… He even wondered sometimes if she'd died, somewhere out there beyond his reach, though something inside him told him that he'd know somehow if that had happened. He'd also imagined what he might say or do when (and it had to be when, not if, he wasn't going to give up on seeing her again) he saw her again, but he'd never been able to figure out how she'd respond. There was just too much he didn't understand about why she'd left. He knew what he wanted the outcome to be, though - for her to return to Magnolia, to come back home to the guild and to _him_.

The feeling of Cana laying her hand on his shoulder broke him out of his thoughts. "Hey, Gray, we're here." Finally noticing that they were no longer moving, he glanced around to find Lucy and Mira helping Natsu and Gajeel, respectively, out of the carriage. He wasn't quite sure why it had become a thing for Fairy Tail's team to all travel to the Games together, but at least their motion sickness had kept Natsu and Gajeel from causing too much of a hassle during the trip.

"Guess I should've been paying more attention," he admitted as he helped Cana collect their luggage from the carriage. After waiting for a couple of minutes for the dragon slayers to recover, they started making their way to the inn they'd been assigned. The group wasn't in any hurry as they walked through Crocus, taking in what had changed and what had remained the same since the last time they'd been there.

As they continued through the streets of the capitol, Gray's eyes caught a flash of a familiar shade of blue. Even though he knew he would probably just be disappointed, that it was likely just someone with the same hair color as _her_ , he couldn't resist turning his head to get a better look. But what he saw when he turned to look stopped him dead in his tracks.

Walking in a different direction than his group, her clothes were different than she used to wear, a short-sleeved blouse and knee-length skirt suited to the summer weather instead of her long navy coat. Her hair was still left in its natural waves, but pulled up into a ponytail instead of hanging loose. Her features seemed to have matured a little, the legacy of three years spent apart. But he'd still recognize her anywhere, particularly her tilted, cat-like eyes, the color of the ocean's depths. Those eyes widened in surprise when they met his. Time seemed suspended in a frozen moment of recognition between them.

The moment shattered as she turned away and continued hurriedly on her course. His heart constricting painfully in his chest at her reaction, he called out, "Juvia!" But that only seemed to make her move faster. He pursued her as quickly as he could, but she darted into the middle of a crowd, and when he managed to push his way to the other side, there was no sign of her.


	2. Chapter 1

Gray was still standing there, cursing under his breath and wondering what he should do next, when the rest of them caught up to him. "Whatcha go running off for?" Cana questioned.

"I saw Juvia." He scowled when his statement was met with skeptical looks from the others. He knew it seemed unlikely, running into her by chance after all this time, but still… "I'm sure it was her." Turning to Gajeel, he continued, "She was just here, you should still be able to pick up her scent."

Gajeel raised a studded eyebrow at him, but did as he asked. After a few moments of sorting through the scents, Gajeel's eyes widened a little. "She _was_ here."

A number of excited exclamations were heard from the others at the news, but all of Gray's attention was focused on Gajeel. "Do you think you'll be able to track her?"

"It'll be a little tricky in such a busy place, but yeah."

His face broke into a relieved smile. "Good." Turning to the rest of the group, Gray suggested, "Why don't you all head to the inn, while Gajeel and I go find Juvia?"

Lucy frowned a little. "You two aren't the only ones who've wanted to see her again all this time, you know."

Gray sighed. "I know, but… Juvia didn't exactly seem happy to see me. It'll probably be better if we don't overwhelm her with a whole crowd when we try to talk to her."

Lucy nodded, a serious look on her face. "We'll leave you to it, then. Whatever's going on with her, I'm sure you two will be able to get to the bottom of it." With that vote of confidence, she proceeded to drag a complaining Natsu off with her, with Mira and Cana following close behind her.

True to his word, Gajeel picked up the traces of Juvia's scent and began to lead them further into the city. Her trail eventually brought them to a small four floor apartment building in a neighborhood that, while it was on the cheaper end of things, didn't seem too run down, either. Entering the building, they made their way up to the second floor, eventually stopping in front of apartment number 222.

"Is this where she's living now?" Gray asked his companion.

"Sure smells like it," Gajeel replied.

After taking a moment to steel himself for any possible reaction Juvia might have to his presence, he knocked firmly on the door in front of him. After a few moments, he could hear movement behind the door, which was soon followed by Juvia cautiously opening it partway. When she saw that he was on the other side, though, she immediately began to close it again. Reaching forward, he braced himself against the door to force it to stay open. It wasn't long before she gave up on trying to force the door closed, her shoulders sagging as her gaze rested somewhere near her feet. "Why did Gray-sam- er, Gray-san - follow Juvia here? She already apologized to him in her letter, so…"

His heart twisted in his chest at the change in how she addressed him, and her obvious discomfort at him being here. But he wasn't going to give up yet, not after finally seeing her again after so long. "I just want to talk to you. _Please_ , Juvia."

Her grip on the door tightened momentarily as she looked up to meet his eyes, expression uncertain. After a brief pause, she asked, "…Will you leave if I tell you to?"

"Yeah." He didn't like the idea of being forced to leave before he was able to get to the bottom of what was going on with her. But if he had to agree to it to get a chance to speak to her at all, then he would.

"Alright, then," she replied in a quiet voice.

Turning towards Gajeel, Gray told him, "I think it would be better if I spoke to Juvia alone." He didn't know exactly why Juvia was acting the way she was, but he had a feeling that the conversation would end up getting a bit personal, and he'd rather not have an audience for that.

After glancing between the two of them for a long moment, Gajeel nodded. "Guess I'll go take a walk." Focusing his attention only on Juvia, he continued, "If things go wrong somehow, just shout for me, okay? We'll catch up after you're done with the stripper."

"Ah, Juvia's sorry she didn't really notice your presence earlier, Gajeel-kun! But she's happy to see you again." She gave him a slightly tenuous smile.

Gajeel responded with only a gruff nod before turning and making his way towards the stairs. As his footsteps faded away, Juvia opened the door to her apartment wider. "Come in, please," she requested politely.

Once they were both inside the apartment, Juvia started bustling about nervously. He couldn't say it didn't hurt that she had obviously been happier to see Gajeel than him. He knew they were close, of course, but he remembered how she used to smile so brightly whenever she saw him. Now she seemed almost scared of him, as if she were expecting him to bite her head off about whatever it was she'd thought she'd done at any moment.

To distract himself from those painful thoughts, Gray started to look around. He was kind of curious to see where Juvia lived, since he'd never had the chance to visit her room when she lived in Fairy Hills. It wasn't that large of a place, having only a bedroom, a bathroom, a kitchen, and the living room he was standing in. The style of the furniture and other decor was rather feminine and somewhat elegant. Shades of blue were the dominant colors in the room, and there were some plants and stuffed animals scattered around. It seemed to suit her.

"Does Gray…-san want some tea?" she called from inside the kitchen.

"Sure." He was more interested in talking to her than whether or not he got something to drink, but it would've been rude to refuse.

Juvia returned from the kitchen just a couple of minutes later, carrying a tray with the tea and a pair of cups. As she set it down on the coffee table, gesturing towards the couch, she said, "Please sit down."

He took a seat there as requested, and after she finished fixing the cups of tea for them, Juvia settled on the couch next to him. Eyes fixed on the cup in front of her as she traced the handle with one of her fingers, she asked, "…How have you been?"

How do you summarize three years of your life simply, particularly when you'd been involved in some pretty intense shit during that time? "Well enough, I guess… But I'm more interested in how you've been doing."

She glanced briefly at him, her brows furrowed in puzzlement, before returning her gaze to her cup of tea. "Juvia… Juvia's been surviving." She shrugged a little. "Nothing exciting, really."

An uncomfortable silence stretched between them, neither of them quite certain how to proceed. Eventually, Gray decided not to beat around the bush, and get straight to what he really wanted to talk about. "Why did you just leave the guild like that? I know it disbanded, but after we got back together you never came back or tried to get in touch. You could have at least let us know you weren't dead."

She looked at him, uncertainty and confusion written on her face, for a long moment before seeming to come to some sort of conclusion and turning away. Wrapping her hands around her cup, she closed her eyes and replied, "Juvia's sorry if she worried anyone. But since she lost her magic, she… she thought that there wasn't any reason for her to be part of Fairy Tail anymore."

He narrowed his eyes at her. "That's bullshit. You know as well as I do that we wouldn't care about that. Fairy Tail isn't just a place to find work, it's a family. So why did you _really_ leave the guild?"

Her shoulders started to tremble as her grip on her cup tightened and tears started gathering at the corners of her eyes. "You _know_ why, Gray-sama! Please… Please don't make me say it…" Juvia's voice came out strained and full of pain.

He hated that his questions were hurting her, but he just couldn't let this go without getting a real answer out of her. "No, Juvia, I really _don't_ know why… Please, just tell me."

Something in his voice prompted her to look at him, taking in his earnest expression. "You… You really don't know?" she asked in a weak voice. He shook his head, and she returned to gazing at her tea, looking completely lost. "But then… Why didn't you…?"

Gray waited as patiently as he could while she gathered her thoughts. Finally, she took a deep breath, still not looking at him, and bluntly stated, "Juvia was the one who killed your father."

Those words hit him with the force of one of Natsu's punches, leaving him spluttering. "Wha- what?!"

She closed her eyes, looking close to tears again. "Juvia knew that the necromancer was the only thing keeping your father alive, but she still… Your father asked her to kill Keyes, to stop them from activating Face. She knew it would hurt you, but she _had_ to… But it didn't even stop Face from going off… Juvia understands if you never want see her again, what she did was unforgivable… She's sorry, so sorry…"

As she had continued talking, anger slowly began to boil within him. He wasn't sure if he was more mad that she'd apparently hidden herself away from everyone for three years in the mistaken belief that he hated her for her role in his father finally finding peace, or upset with himself for not being there when she woke up, which probably would've prevented all this in the first place. "That's enough of that _garbage_ ," he cut in, his words come out more harshly than he really intended them to.

He reached out, taking hold of her shoulders and turning her to face him. She looked up at him, eyes wide and uncertain. "The only thing you have to apologize for is thinking I would hate you over this," he told her firmly. "My dad _wanted_ to die, he wanted to be with my mom again. I couldn't bring myself to grant him that, so you had to. You enabled him to pass his will and magic along to me, and that's saved me countless times since then. I'm nothing but thankful for what you did, so don't go saying stupid shit like that again, got it?" His hands tightened a little on her shoulders.

Seeming stunned by his declaration, all she could manage was a small nod. "Good." Releasing her shoulders, he looked away while running a hand through his hair. "I'm sorry, too. If I'd just taken the time to check on you before leaving Magnolia, maybe we'd have been able to talk sooner, and…" He sighed, frustrated with himself and the whole damn situation.

The gentle touch of her hand on his pulled his attention back to her, and he found her gazing at him with a small, sad smile. "We've both made mistakes that lead us here. All we can do now is be glad that those misunderstandings no longer stand between us, and continue on from here."

The corners of his mouth turned up a little in return. "Yeah." He knew better than most that there was no way to turn back the clock, no matter how much you regretted what you'd done. And he didn't really want to go back to the way things had been before, anyway, with him unable to face his feelings for her. They may be uncertain of where they stand with each other now, but at least he knew how he wanted things to be between them.

Trying to steer the conversation to lighter topics, he continued, "I really did want to know what you've been up to. You must have been able to find some sort of job, to be able to afford this place."

She nodded. "Juvia is working as a seamstress for a local shop. The pay isn't great, but it's enough."

Gray smiled a little at her. "You always were good at crafty things like that, weren't you?" The scarf she'd made for him was still one of his most precious possessions.

Juvia shrugged, looking a little bashful. "One of the caretakers at the orphanage made sure the girls learned how to do things like sew, cook, and clean. She said that way they'd have some skills to fall back on if they couldn't get any other sort of work. Juvia never thought she'd need to rely on them like that, though…"

He nodded thoughtfully. "So, why'd you choose Crocus to live in?"

"Well, Juvia thought she could do one of two things: settle in some remote village and hope no one from Fairy Tail passed through on a mission, or use the crowds of a big city to hide in plain sight. A large city would hold more opportunities for work, and Juvia knows that mage guilds don't get missions that take them to Crocus very often… She'd just have to avoid the Weekly Sorcerer's offices and the Games when they're held, and she'd probably never run into anyone who'd recognize her. She spent a week away from the city the last time they were held."

"Then why didn't you leave the city while the Games were being held this year?" Not that he was complaining that she hadn't - if she had, who knows how long it would've taken them to run into each other and straighten things out?

She looked away, seeming a bit embarrassed. "Juvia thought that you guys would have given up on looking for her by now."

Gray snorted. "You should know better than to underestimate our sheer stubbornness, especially when it concerns our comrades."

"Juvia knows… She just let her fears and self-doubts cloud her judgement, forgetting what being a Fairy Tail Mage really meant." She sighed.

He hesitated before asking his next question. "…Have you made many friends here? Maybe, er, found someone special?" He couldn't help but dread the thought of Juvia wanting to stay here in Crocus and continue the new life she'd started here, instead of wanting to return to Magnolia with him (and the rest of Fairy Tail). But he couldn't deny the possibility, either. She'd clearly been set upon never returning, so it wouldn't have been surprising if she'd moved on from the past.

But she shook her head, much to his relief (and slight guilt). "Juvia gets along well enough with those she works with, but otherwise she's kept mostly to herself. She had too much to deal with when she came here to worry about such things, and she just never got around to trying to change that later." Looking back at him, she tilted her head to one side curiously. "What about Gray-sama? Has… Is there a special someone in his life?" She didn't seem jealous at the thought of him loving someone other than her, like she would have years ago, though there was a tone in her voice he couldn't quite decipher.

"No one is more special to me than you." Those words slipped out of him before he realized what he was saying, causing Juvia to gape at him in wide-eyed surprised. Shit. Not that he hadn't meant what he'd said, but to come out and say something like that, when he didn't know how she felt about him now… He turned away from her as his face heated up, rubbing the the back of his head sheepishly. "That is… I mean- Argh!"

A glance back towards her showed him that she was blushing a little now, too, which soothed him a little. He could still have that sort of effect on her, at least. Pulling himself together a bit, he faced her again and took one of her hands in his, which only made her cheeks grow more rosy. "Juvia," he said to her seriously, looking her straight in the eyes, "when the Games are over, I want you to come back to Magnolia. That's where you belong, with us. Fairy Tail has missed you. _I've_ missed you. It just isn't the same without you there."

Definitely blushing now, she averted her gaze from his, seeming a bit overwhelmed. "Juvia… Juvia isn't sure what she wants to do. She's missed you all, but it's been so long… What if she can't fit in as part of Fairy Tail anymore?"

Gray wanted to reassure her, but he knew he couldn't guarantee she'd be able to fit right back in. Too much had changed. He was confident she'd be able to find a new place for herself among them, like Mira had after Lisanna's apparent death, but he wasn't sure he could convince her of that. So instead he told her, "You don't have to decide right away. You can meet everyone again first, let them give you taste of what things will be like if you come back."

She slowly nodded. "Juvia will let you know her decision once the Games have finished."

He nodded back at her, his lips curling up into a small smile. Now he just had to persuade her make the right choice. "It's a deal." Releasing her hand, he reached up and tucked a strand of hair that had fallen out of her ponytail behind her ear, his fingers lingering against her skin a little longer than strictly necessary. He wished he could let his hand slip down and rest against her cheek, brush his thumb against the soft skin there, then pull her in for a kiss. But he couldn't presume such actions would be welcomed simply based on what she'd felt for him in the past.

Letting his hand drop to his side, he turned away from the temptation she presented. "Come on, I'll show you where most of the guild's staying for the tournament."

"Okay. Oh, but Juvia should change first! She wasn't really planning to go anywhere special today…!" She hurried out of the room, leaving him to chuckle a little at how excitable she could be at times.

Getting up, he decided to spend the time while Juvia was changing taking a closer look at some of the stuff in her living room. As he wandered around examining various items, a shelf full of magazines caught his eye. Curiosity prompting him to pull one out, he raised an eyebrow when he saw that it was an issue of Weekly Sorcerer Magazine. So she'd kept up with news of the magical world? As he paged through them, he noticed that she hadn't kept every issue - just the ones that mentioned Fairy Tail, it seemed.

Just then, he heard footsteps approaching rapidly. "Juvia's ready to- Oh!" She cut herself short when she saw what he'd been looking through. Glancing away, as if she'd been caught doing something she shouldn't have, she mumbled, "Juvia just wanted to keep an eye on her friends as much as she could, to make sure they were doing okay…"

Gray smiled at her. "There's nothing wrong with that." Knowing that even while she'd chosen to exile herself from Fairy Tail, she'd still been thinking of them and hoping that they were well made his heart feel lighter in his chest.

Taking a closer look at her, he noticed that she'd changed into a pink sundress with white lace trim along the neckline. Her hair was down now, and a sun hat with a pink ribbon to match her dress was perched on her head. Brown thigh-high stockings drew attention to her shapely legs, and a pair of strappy white sandals completed her look. "You… You look really nice," he admitted, feeling his cheeks grow a little warm.

She looked down bashfully, tucking a lock of her hair behind her ear, her face turning a bit pink. "Juvia is glad you think so."

That he could still get that kind of reaction out of her with a simple compliment made him smirk a little in satisfaction. "Let's go."

Once they left Juvia's apartment building, they found Gajeel waiting for them across the street. "Gajeel-kun!" Juvia practically flew into his arms, causing Gajeel to stagger back a couple of steps.

Gajeel rolled his eyes and declared, "You don't have to act all sappy about it, woman," but a genuinely happy smile snuck onto his face despite his protestations.

She just hugged him tighter. "Juvia really missed you!"

He sighed and placed an affectionate hand on the back of her head. "Missed ya too, Puddle."

Gray couldn't help being a little jealous of the cozy little reunion the two were having. Juvia hadn't greeted him anywhere close to as affectionately as that, and while they'd sorted out the reason for that, things were still kind of awkward between them. Clearing his throat loudly to get their attention, he stated, "I told Juvia we'd show her to the inn the guild's staying at."

Gajeel nodded, then looked down at Juvia. "C'mon, get off of me. I ain't gonna vanish or something if you let go." That caused her to break off the hug, looking a little sheepish. Gajeel then turned back to him. "One of us should go let the rest of the team know that we'll all be meeting up there." From the significant look Gajeel was giving him, Gray could tell who he had in mind for that role.

Heaving a quiet sigh, he agreed. Gajeel deserved a chance to talk with Juvia alone as much as he had, he guessed. So he set off to gather the rest of Fairy Tail's tournament team, albeit a bit reluctantly.


	3. Chapter 2

Juvia watched Gray walk away from her and Gajeel with a mixture of relief and regret. She'd missed him, but the day had been an emotional roller coaster since the moment their eyes had met on the street.

"So, didja get things straightened out with the stripper?" The question brought her attention back to her old friend, and she sent him a slightly subdued smile.

"Yes, it seems there was a large misunderstanding, but Juvia and Gray-sama worked it out. She's promised to at least consider returning to Fairy Tail after the Grand Magic Games are over."

"Good," Gajeel replied with a firm nod, a pleased smile stretching across his lips. "The place just ain't been the same without your craziness in the mix."

As they started to walk towards their destination, Juvia asked, "Does Gajeel-kun think the others will still welcome Juvia after the way she left?"

He snorted. "Those saps've been hoping to find you again all this time, they'll welcome you with open arms, I'm sure of it."

She looked down at her feet. "But Juvia doesn't have her magic anymore, she'll never fit in the way she used to…"

"So? That just means you'll have to find a new place in the guild for yourself. That she-demon stopped using most of her magic for years, but she still found ways to help out. You got talents other than magic, too."

She looked back up at him with a smile. "Thanks, Gajeel-kun, Juvia needed to hear that." Her smile turned a bit sly as she continued, "So what have you been up to? Juvia heard that you and Levy-san got engaged, Juvia is very happy for you both!"

Gajeel flushed a little and looked away awkwardly. "Uh, yeah, that happened, don't make a big deal of it."

"But Juvia is just so glad that Gajeel-kun found somebody who makes him happy! Would you have ever thought your life would turn out this way, back when Gajeel-kun and Juvia were in Phantom Lord?"

"Nah, I figured I'd end up dead in a ditch someday. But… I'm glad I ended up here instead," Gajeel admitted with a small smile.

She smiled back at him and nodded. "Juvia thinks you've more than earned it. Oh, she hopes she'll have a place in the wedding ceremony!"

Gajeel patted her on the head, causing her hat to tilt at an awkward angle until she reached up to straighten it. "Been leaving that stuff up to Levy, 'cause what do I know about weddings, but I'm sure we can figure something out."

They walked on in comfortable silence for a little while before he commented, "Y'know, I'm a little surprised you didn't jump at the idea of returning to Magnolia after you got things sorted out between you and Stripper, so you could start chasing after him again. Didja lose interest in him or something?"

She let out a sad little sigh and shook her head. "Juvia still loves Gray-sama with all her heart. But she thought she didn't have a right to love him anymore, so she locked those feelings away deep inside. And now she knows that she was wrong to think that, but she's spent so long keeping her love locked away that she can't go back to being that girl who so easily expressed her love just like that. Gray-sama will probably be happy he doesn't have to deal with her unwanted affections anymore, anyway."

Gajeel gave her a considering look, then said slowly, "I don't know that your… affections… were that unwanted. Outta all of us, you up and disappearing like that upset him the most. He's been trying hard to find you the whole time. I doubt he'd go to that kind of effort if he didn't care about you more than you think."

Juvia stopped in her tracks as what he was saying sunk in, her eyes widening. "Gray-sama missed Juvia that much? Really?"

Turning back towards her, Gajeel rolled his eyes. "Would I start lying to you now, woman? Seriously, you need to get over thinking people don't give a shit about you. They do, so get used to it."

Looking down, she started following after him again. "Juvia's sorry, she wasn't doubting Gajeel-kun's words, she just found them hard to believe, particularly since, all this time, she thought…" But she'd been wrong, hadn't she? Even after she'd told him of her involvement in his father's passing, he'd assured of her of his gratitude towards her. He'd even said she was special to him. Her cheeks pinking as a smile slowly spread across her lips, she continued, "You think Juvia has reason to keep hoping, then?"

Gajeel nodded. "Never really got how you two's whatever worked, but even I can see there's something there."

Her smile dimmed a little as she replied, "Still, Juvia doesn't think she's ready to reach out to him like she did before."

"So don't," he replied bluntly. "Let him be the one to chase after you for once. If that idiot won't step up after all this time, then he ain't worth it."

Juvia frowned a little, but before she had a chance to respond, they arrived at their destination. This year, while the actual team was being housed somewhere smaller, the rest of Fairy Tail had taken over a large, multi-story inn, the first floor of which was mostly given over to a bar area. That was where Gajeel led her to. It seemed Gray had managed to gather the rest of the GMG team and bring them here before she'd gotten there with Gajeel, because everyone was crowded into the bar, waiting expectantly.

The first one to separate themselves from the happily grinning crowd was Erza, who cried out her name and pulled her into a crushing hug that made Juvia grateful that Erza was showing her pregnancy enough to forgo her customary armor breastplate.

Hugging the other woman back, Juvia responded, "Erza-san! Juvia's so sorry that she missed your wedding!"

"It couldn't be helped," Erza stated. "I'll just have to show you all of the pictures from it while I tell you about it." Juvia felt a little uneasy at that prospect, picturing Erza depositing a several inch thick album of photos in front of her with a thud and proceeding to spend hours showing them to her. "But you'll be around for the birth of my child, won't you?"

"Ah, um…" Juvia hesitated, not wanting to commit to definitely returning to Magnolia for good. Not that she couldn't drop by for a visit when Erza had her child, but…

Thankfully, she was spared from having to come up with a sufficiently tactful answer by Lucy stepping towards them. "Come on, Erza, let Juvia say hi to the rest of us before putting her on the spot like that."

After a little more persuasion, Erza released her so that Lucy could take her turn hugging Juvia. "It's so nice to see you again, Lucy! Has your writing been going well?"

"You, too! And yes, it has been… I'm actually in talks with a publisher about my first novel," Lucy answered.

"Juvia's so happy for you!" she replied with a large smile, which then shifted into a more sly one. "Juvia also heard that Lucy got together with Natsu-san…"

"Um, yeah, we did…" Lucy admitted with pink-tinged cheeks.

"Congratulations!" Juvia cheered, her smile dimming a little as she thought about how she once would have crowed about one of her Love Rivals no longer being in the running…

But she was soon broken out of those thoughts as Lisanna leaned towards them. "Hey, don't I get a hug, too?"

Letting go of Lucy so she could throw her arms around the other woman, she responded, "Of course, Lisanna-san! How have you been?" After chatting with Lisanna for a little bit, she found herself having to swat Cana's hands away from her chest with fond exasperation, and couldn't help exclaiming over how much Wendy had grown since she had last seen her.

Each new person who greeted her made a long absent feeling of warmth grow in her chest. Moisture gathered in her eyes unbidden and she reached up to wipe the tears away, but they wouldn't stop coming.

"Is everything alright?" Lucy asked with concern, and Juvia nodded.

"Juvia's fine, it's just… She's just so happy to see everyone again!" She began crying harder, the pain of three difficult, lonely years washing away as she was surrounded by those she loved again. Her friends escorted her to a seat at one of the tables, where she soon cried herself out and began happily chatting with everyone about what they'd been doing for the past three years again.

At a table across the room, Gray sat watching the people swarming around Juvia, his head propped up by one arm and a frown on his face. He kept hoping to spot her looking around or some other sign that she was wondering where he was, but she was wholly absorbed in talking to everyone else. His attention only moved away from the scene when Cana wandered up next to him and clapped a hand on his shoulder, the other one idly grasping a beer bottle. "Y'know, you could just go over there and talk to her, instead of sulking here all night."

Looking away as his mouth turned further down into a scowl, he grumbled, "Juvia seems happy enough without me being around."

Raising an eyebrow, Cana smirked down at him. "Oh ho, is someone feeling uncertain of his welcome? Are you worrying that she doesn't love you anymore?"

He said nothing, continuing to glare down at the table as he felt his cheeks warm. She chuckled, ruffling his hair with her hand and causing him to turn his glare on her. "Take it easy, you have nothing to worry about. If you wander over there, I'm sure she'll be happy to see you."

His annoyance with her lessening after her attempt at reassurance, he looked back towards where Juvia was sitting, still frowning as his eyebrows furrowed. "But she… It's different, now."

"Well, I don't know what happened between the two of you that made her disappear for all these years, but her not loving you is about as likely as me not drinking," Cana remarked. "Before, she was always the one chasing after you, trying to get closer. Maybe now's the time for you to be the one to make the moves."

As he turned over Cana's words in his head, he found himself slowly nodding. He couldn't just sit around and expect Juvia to do all the work to overcome the new distance that had grown between them. He'd have to put in effort to get things to turn out the way he wanted them to, even if it meant doing stuff that made him a bit uncomfortable.

"So, what're you waiting for? Go get her!" She gave him a little shove, making him roll his eyes as he stood up from his chair.

"I'm going, I'm going…" After taking a few steps towards Juvia, he turned enough to look back over his shoulder with a small smile. "Thanks for the advice, you loon." She simply grinned at him and toasted him with her beer bottle.

When he arrived at Juvia's table, the girls chatting with her, including Lucy and Erza, traded irritatingly knowing glances before getting up and leaving so that he could talk with her. (Though he wished they'd gone farther - they seemed to be lingering close by in hopes of overhearing the two of them.) As he sat down across from her, Juvia gave him a shy smile. "Did Gray-sama want something?"

"Um, yeah." Given the things he'd faced in his life, it was surprising how nerve-wracking simply talking to someone could be. Taking a deep breath and steeling his nerves, he pressed forward. "I was wondering if you'd like to go out with me tomorrow, after the day's events for the Games?"

"…Gray-sama wants to spend time with Juvia? Alone?" He could tell he'd surprised her with the question, but he wasn't sure what else she was feeling about it, though the faint blush he thought he could see on her cheeks had to be a good sign, right?

Feeling a bit bashful, he looked away as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, it's been a long time since we last saw each other, so…"

"Juvia sees." Was it just him or did she look a little disappointed? But then she smiled brightly as she said, "Juvia would love to."

He couldn't keep a slightly relieved smile from spreading across his lips in return. "Great. Since you've been living here, maybe you could show me places you like that aren't, like, tourist traps."

Juvia nodded, still smiling, and he mentally patted himself on the back. He'd managed to clear the first hurdle, at least, and he had much to look forward to tomorrow.


	4. Chapter 3

It was fairly early the next morning that Juvia got dressed and walked over to the inn where Fairy Tail's team was staying. Gray had offered to walk with her to the Games last night, so she was meeting him there. She'd taken a bit more care with her appearance than she usually did that morning, and while she told herself that it was because she'd be attending such a large event, she'd be lying if she said that was the only reason.

Gray was standing outside of the inn when she got there, and her heart beat a little faster at the way he smiled when he saw her. "Good morning, Gray-sama," she greeted him, returning his smile with a shy one of her own.

"Morning." Gesturing towards the street, he asked, "Shall we get going?"

With a nod, she fell into step beside him as they started towards the arena. Walking next to him was both familiar and strange, something they'd done many times before yet something they hadn't done in years. Wanting to fill the silence between them, she asked, "Has the rest of the team headed to the arena already?"

Shaking his head, he replied, "Nah, they're still getting ready. Figured we'd leave early so we didn't have to rush."

That made her smile a little. Eyeing the man next to her again, she remarked, "You're not wearing team uniforms this year."

"Yeah, well, not everyone had the same outfit from the last time, so it's not like we could just reuse them, and Laxus didn't feel like having new ones made." He shrugged. The outfit he was wearing wasn't much different from ones she'd seen him wear countless times before, a knee-length white coat and somewhat baggy black pants, but he'd always managed to look good in whatever clothes he was (or wasn't) wearing.

"Juvia thinks Gray-sama looks very handsome anyway," she commented, smiling a little when she spotted a tinge of pink on his cheeks from the compliment.

"Um, yeah, well… You dress a lot lighter now, don't you?"

She couldn't keep her smile from turning sad. "Juvia doesn't have much choice anymore, if she doesn't want to bake in this heat."

An awkward silence enveloped them, neither of them sure how to address the loss of her magic. Shifting her attention to their surroundings, she noticed that even at this fairly early hour foot traffic was increasing as they got closer to where the Grand Magic Games would be held. In among the groups of people walking past them, Juvia spotted a familiar looking head of spiky silver hair. Tugging gently on Gray's sleeve, she pointed and asked, "Isn't that Lyon-sama?"

"Looks like it," he replied, looking as if he was debating whether or not to try to get Lyon's attention. That decision was soon taken out of his hands when Lyon spotted them on his own and began to make his way over to them. And he wasn't alone - with him was a familiar young woman with pink hair spilling out from beneath her hood.

"Ready to taste defeat this year, Gray?" he asked with a smirk before his gaze fell on her. His eyes widening as he stepped toward her, he asked, "Is that really you, Juvia-chan?" At her confirming nod, he gave her a wide, relieved smile as he took her hands in his. "We all worried when you disappeared so suddenly and so long. It's so wonderful to see you safe and sound."

"Give her some room to breathe." Meredy nudged Lyon in the side as he gave her a small frown but let go of Juvia's hands and took a step back. "Seriously, though, it's great to meet up with you again after so long," she told Juvia with a broad smile.

"Juvia is happy to see you both." The smile that seeing them again brought to her face soon dimmed, however. "She is sorry that everyone was concerned about her, though. She never meant to make people worry."

Meredy easily waved her apology off. "I'm sure you had your reasons, and we can make up for lost time now, right? Just don't drop off the face of Earthland again!"

She winked at Juvia, and Juvia couldn't help smiling in return. "Juvia would like that." Her brow furrowed as a thought occurred to her. "But why are Meredy and Lyon-sama here together? Juvia didn't think they knew each other that well."

"Well, once Crime Sorciere was pardoned after the war, I wasn't sure what I wanted to do," Meredy replied with a shrug. "After wandering around for a while, I ran into Lyon during one of his missions and helped him out."

"Once I completed the mission," Lyon continued with a smile, looking over at Meredy, "we got to talking and I somehow managed to convince this beauteous creature beside me to join Lamia Scale."

"Stop being such a dork." Meredy rolled her eyes and elbowed Lyon again, but Juvia could see the pink flush that rose to her cheeks at the compliment.

"Will you be on the Lamia Scale team for the games, then?" Juvia asked.

Lyon is the one who answered her question with a nod. "She's going to help make our team a force to be reckoned with. Particularly with Fairy Tail lacking some of its heavy hitters, eh Gray?"

Gray, who'd mostly been casually listening to their conversation with his hands in his pockets, frowned at this statement. "We've still got plenty of power to handle the likes of your guild."

"I guess we'll just have to see, won't we?" Lyon replied with another smirk. "Anyway, Meredy and I should get going so we can prepare for the games to start."

"How about we meet up with you again to catch up more? Maybe tonight?" Meredy asked eagerly.

Blushing a bit, Juvia shook her head regretfully. "Juvia already has plans for tonight with Gray-sama." Her eyes lighting up as a thought occurred to her, she continued, "Maybe Juvia and Gray-sama could meet up with the two of you for dinner tomorrow?"

Gray raised an eyebrow at her, expression somewhat amused. "You'r volunteering me for things now?" Juvia opened her mouth to apologize but closed it when he shook his head. "It's fine, I can put up with Lyon for one dinner if you want."

"We accept your invitation," Lyon said as Meredy responded with an excited nod. And then they were off with a nod and a "See you later!" from Meredy, allowing Gray and Juvia to resume their own walk towards the arena.

The crowds of people in the streets continued to get thicker as they got closer to the stadium. Entering the plaza in front of it, they could see people starting to form lines to get in. As they moved to join one of the lines, a young woman hurried up to them and shoved a notepad into Juvia's face.

"Hi, I'm Stacey Lemon from Sorcerer Weekly. It's been years since you've appeared at any public events like this, Miss Lockser. Can I get you to answer a few questions and shed some light on the sudden retirement of Fairy Tail's famous water mage?"

Reeling from this sudden onslaught of questions, Juvia stuttered out, "Um, uh, well…"

Scowling at the reporter, Gray wrapped a protective arm around Juvia's shoulders and started steering her away. "Back off. She's just here to watch the Games, she doesn't need you people grilling her about the past."

Juvia shot Gray a grateful look as they quickly put some distance between them and the reporter, who at least had the good sense not to follow them. Once they had taken their place in the short line at the entrance for participating guilds, Gray stopped and looked down at her. "Are you okay?"

She nodded, smiling at little at this show of concern. "Juvia was just taken off guard - she'd forgotten how nosy people can be about the lives of well-known mages, and wasn't expecting something like that."

Gray snorted. "I wish people like that would mind their own business."

"Still, Juvia didn't think that people would know that she was back in contact with Fairy Tail yet."

He shrugged. "That reporter probably just spotted you with me and recognized you from past appearances."

They reached the front of the line, and after Juvia displayed her Fairy Tail mark (which had never faded over the years, despite everything) they were allowed through. The guilds had assigned seating sections close to the floor of the arena, and a few people had already started to gather in Fairy Tail's section.

"Well, this is where I've gotta go - the teams are gathering separately for whatever preliminary competition they're holding this year," Gray told her once they reached the stairs leading up to the seats, taking her hand in his.

She nodded, giving his hand a gentle squeeze. "Juvia will be cheering you all on."

"I'll make sure not to disappoint you."

They stood there for a moment, just looking at each other, neither of them wanting Gray to go just yet. A thought occurred to her, and after a moment's hesitation she rose up onto her toes and shyly pressed a gentle kiss to his cheek. "For good luck," she told him, spotting the way his cheeks turned pink as she looked away.

"Um, yeah, thanks." Clearing his throat, he gave her hand another squeeze before letting go. "I'll see you again after the games are over for the day." With that, he turned to go, and she watched him leave, glancing back at her briefly right before he moved out of sight.

Juvia could feel butterflies fluttering in her stomach as she made her way up the steps to the stadium seats. It had been so long since she'd felt that way. Did she dare hope that she and Gray could actually…? But wondering what the future might hold wouldn't get her anywhere, so as she stepped up to the railing that overlooked the arena floor, placing herself next to Lisanna and Elfman, she tried to shake off her thoughts and focus only on the upcoming contests.

People continued to file into the stands until they were full almost to overflowing by the time the announcers called the games to order. The crowd hushed as the details of the preliminary round was announced - a scavenger hunt, where the first six teams to retrieve five items from an individualized list given to each guild would be the ones to compete in the rest of the games. Of course, to make it interesting some of the items appeared on more than one list, meaning that the teams might have to fight for them.

Once the event started, a large number of lacrima displays popped up in the middle of the arena, showing each guild as they ran around Crocus following the clues they'd been given. As she and the rest of the guild eagerly watched the Fairy Tail team hunt down their objects, it was clear that Lucy's intellect was of great help in quickly figuring out the clues. Standing there cheering with the rest of the guild, even though the team couldn't hear them, Juvia felt more at home than she had in a long time.

In the end, Sabertooth managed to secure first place in the preliminaries, though Fairy Tail managed a close second. Lamia Scale came in third, Blue Pegasus was fourth, Mermaid Tail took fifth place, and Quattro Cerberus managed to get the sixth and final spot. After the preliminaries finished, the announcers told the audience that there would be an hour rest break before the actual events started.

After the break, the teams were called into the stadium one at a time to the cheers of the crowd. Juvia cheered hardest when Fairy Tail's team entered, of course, and she was happy that their reception was much better than it had been the last time they'd participated. As the team began to make its way to their box, situated a little ways below where the main bulk of the guild was sitting, Gray's eyes scanned over the cheering guild members. His eyes met Juvia's, and he smiled, causing her heart to skip a beat as she smiled back. Still smiling, he followed the rest of the team into the box.

Juvia also cheered for the next team to come in, since she was friendly with some of their members, nor was she the only Fairy Tail member to do so. Wendy, who'd stayed with Lamia Scale while Fairy Tail was disbanded, was clearly happy to see them, though Chelia, her closest friend from that guild, still hadn't gotten her magic back to a level where she could join competitions like this. Meredy spotted Juvia in the stands and waved, prompting her to wave back to her, and Lyon as well when he joined in.

Once all of the teams had been introduced, it was time for the first themed event of the Games to start. Given only the title - 'Obscurity' - to go on, Gajeel was selected from Fairy Tail's team. From Sabertooth Rogue chose to participate, perhaps still interested in testing his strength against Gajeel's. Toby from Lamia Scale volunteered, Hibiki was chosen for Blue Pegasus, Araña was the contestant from Mermaid Heel, and Rocker of Quattro Cerberus rounded out the group.

As the chosen competitors made their way down to the area floor, Juvia couldn't resist the urge to shout "You can do it, Gajeel-kun!" Glancing back over his shoulder at her, he smirked before finishing walking to whether the others had gathered.

"The rules of this challenge are simple," the announcer declared as a number of buildings began springing into existence in the middle of the arena. "The six of you will be spread out to random locations inside of here. Your job will be to hunt down the other mages. If you land an attack on another contestant, you will gain a point and they will lose a point and be moved to another location. Of course, it would be too simple if it was easy to find everyone, so…"

In the maze of buildings that had been constructed some of the areas began to change - growing dark or becoming shrouded in smoke or drenched by miniature rain clouds. "You'll need to use these hazards to your advantage to win this game. But of course simply holing up in one of them won't get you any points! And without further ado, let the game begin!"

The six mages gathered there were immediately scattered to separate locations within the constructed course, lacrima screens showing their surroundings to the audience. Having enhanced senses would definitely give both Gajeel and Rogue an advantage in this game. In some ways, it reminded Juvia of the first event she'd participated in when she'd been in these games, though how they'd made it difficult to find the other mages was a bit different from the clones that had been used then.

Neither Toby nor Rocker did well at the challenge - Rocker's magic didn't lend itself to stealth and Toby was easily tricked. In fact, Toby was the only mage that Rocker was able to tag. Araña did a bit better with her Thread magic but it was better for laying traps than tracking people down, so it was too limited by how many mages passed her way. Hibiki did surprisingly well, his archive magic helping him analyze his surroundings and find the other mages.

But the two who fared best were Gajeel and Rogue, due to their keen senses and skill at combat. And their ability to move through the shadows helped them get around. The two of them were tied for points through most of the game. Near the end, the two of them ran into each other in between a patch of shadow and an area soaked with rain. Knowing that Rogue had more experience in the shadows, Gajeel withdrew into the rainy area, making Juvia smile to herself. Rain tended to baffle the acute senses of smell and hearing that dragon slayers had, but Gajeel had had a lot of practice in dealing with that due to the times they worked together back in Phantom Lord. Sure enough, when Rogue foolishly followed Gajeel into the rain, Gajeel got the upper hand and took him out. The point he gained from that plus the time it took for Rogue to be put back into the game allowed Gajeel to pull ahead and take first place.

There was a short thirty minute break between the end of the event and the start of the individual matches. The first two matches were fairly uneventful, pitting Lamia Scale against Quattro Cerberus and Blue Pegasus against Mermaid Heel, with Lamia Scale and Blue Pegasus emerging the victors. The third and last match was another story, however.

"The final match up for today will be Lucy Heartfilia of Fairy Tail and Minerva Orland of Sabertooth!" A sudden hush followed this announcement, as many remembered what had happened between those two the last time they'd faced one another in these games. The audience began murmuring among themselves, wondering if history would repeat, if Lucy might have grown stronger, or if Minerva had learned restraint. Juvia gripped the railing with her hands. She was aware that Minerva had apologized for her previous behavior, and she knew that Lucy had improved over the years, but she never wanted to feel as helpless as she had when they were watching Minerva torture Lucy back then. And there was even less she could do about it now if something like that happened again.

Lucy and Minerva faced off against each other in the arena, Lucy looking serious and determined while Minerva looked calm and relaxed. Immediately after the announcer called for the fight to start, Minerva lifted her head and loudly declared, "I forfeit the match."

The crowd fell into a shocked silence, and Lucy stood in a battle ready stance, frowning, as Minerva approached her. She stopped when she reached Lucy. "We're even now. But don't expect me to go easy on you if we face each other again."

Her expression clearing, Lucy smiled and nodded at Minerva. "You got it."

Returning Lucy's smile with a brief, barely there smile of her own, Minerva walked confidently out of the arena, leaving a babble of confused voices in her wake. Juvia relaxed and smiled herself. She was happy to see Minerva making up for what she'd done to Lucy in her own way.

With the games done for the day, Juvia made her way home to her apartment to change and get ready to spend the evening with Gray. She dithered over choosing an outfit, her indecision not helped by her not being sure if this was supposed to be an actual date or if Gray just wanted to spend more time catching up with her. Eventually she settled on pairing a nice white blouse with lace details with a plainer dark blue skirt, white ankle socks, and dark blue Mary Janes. She kept her makeup light and her hair loose, topping her outfit off with a dark blue sun hat with a white ribbon.

She jumped a little when there was knocking at her door. Answering it, she found Gray on the other side, hands stuffed casually in the pockets of the nice slacks he was wearing. The dress shirt he was wearing was nicer than he usually wore as well. He smiled when he saw her. "You look good tonight."

Juvia felt her cheeks go pink. "Thank you. Gray-sama looks even more handsome than he did earlier."

They both just stood there for a few moments before Gray motioned down the hall. "Lead on, since you're the one who knows where we're going."

Juvia nodded and closed the door behind her before making her way down the hall. Gray fell into step beside her, and an awkward silence grew between them as they walked. She wasn't sure what to talk to him about, and she had a feeling he didn't either. Still, it was rather disheartening. Had it truly been so long since they last spent time together that they couldn't feel comfortable with each other anymore?

The silence was finally broken when they reached the first place Juvia wanted to show him. As she slowed to a stop in the middle of one of the bridges that crossed over the city's canals, Gray raised an eyebrow at her. "Um, Juvia realizes that this bridge doesn't really look like anything special, but… Juvia likes to come here to think or just to watch the water flow. She may not be able to control it anymore, but she still finds being around water soothing."

Gray frowned, opened his mouth, then closed it again. She watched him quietly, wondering what he wanted to say. It seemed he eventually decided to just say what was on his mind, though. "You still miss your magic, don't you?" he stated more than asked.

"Of course Juvia does, just as she would miss her arms if she lost them. But she has accepted that it is gone, and she has adapted." Her words were accompanied with a melancholy smile.

"…Does it hurt, being around people who can use magic?" he asked, voice softening and lips folding into a small worried frown.

"A bit," she admitted, looking down into the water instead of at him, "though watching the games and seeing all of you again has felt more nostalgic than anything else. Juvia isn't sure how she'll feel if she spends more time around them, though. She hasn't really tried to since… She wants to spend more time with you and the others, but not if it ends up turning her bitter and jealous. That's part of the reason Juvia doesn't want to commit to going back to Magnolia yet."

She saw Gray nod out of the corner of her eye. "It can't be an easy position to be in. Hopefully being around us will bring you more joy than sorrow."

"Juvia hopes so, too. After all, where else will she find a crazy enough bunch of people to put up with her own strangeness?" She finally turned towards Gray, a smile tugging at her lips.

Gray smiled back at her. "If it's craziness you want, you won't find a better place than Fairy Tail."

Speaking of craziness… "Um, Gray-sama, your shirt…" She blushed as she turned away. Gray's physique certainly hadn't deteriorated in the time they'd been apart, aside from a couple of new scars - if anything, he was even taller and more muscular than he'd been before.

"Ack…! Sorry!" She heard cloth rustle as Gray retrieved his shirt and put it back on. Gray gave her a lopsided smile as he finished fastening the last buttons when she turned back to him. "So what's the next stop on our little tour?"

"Well…" she began as she lead the way forward, "Juvia thought she'd show you where she works." The tailoring shop was closed by the time they got there, but Gray got to see the quaintly decorated outside of it at least. Conversation was flowing more easily between them as they visited a coffee shop Juvia was fond of and a small hidden away park. Maybe successfully talking about something as difficult as the loss of her magic had shown them that they could relax, they didn't have to be so careful around each other.

The next stop was Juvia's favorite restaurant, which Gray readily agreed to have dinner at. The dishes offered were fairly typical fare, but the atmosphere was warm and welcoming. As they were being seated the waitress, who was somewhat familiar with Juvia from her repeated visits, gave her a wink and a discreet thumbs up. Juvia's cheeks warmed a bit in response. She'd never come here with someone else before, so she could only imagine what the waitress must be thinking.

Her attention returned to Gray when he asked her what dishes on the menu she thought were good. Once they'd placed their orders, Gray started telling her about one of his more recent solo jobs. Listening to the story did make her heart ache a bit, knowing that she'd never join him on one of these jobs or even do one herself again. But she enjoyed how happy Gray looked while telling it, an easy smile on his lips and his posture relaxed.

He was just finishing up his story when their food arrived, and they spent a few quiet minutes digging in. Juvia looked up from her food, startled, when Gray asked, "So, got any stories about what you've been up to?"

She looked down, pushing the food on her plate around a bit. "Juvia hasn't been doing anything as interesting as Gray-sama has…"

"No stories about annoying neighbors?" he persisted. "No troublesome customers?"

Juvia took a moment to think. "Um, well, there was this one time…" she started. As she told the story of a customer who kept asking for further alterations and additions to her dress, she expected that Gray would quickly become bored, but he seemed content to watch and listen to her talk.

By the end of her tale, he was shaking his head, looking slightly amused. "She just didn't know when to quit, did she?"

"No, she didn't," Juvia agreed. "To be honest, the end product ended up quite hideous - way too busy with different trims and ornamentation." After taking a sip of her drink, she continued, "Thank you for listening to Juvia, she knows hearing about things like making dresses is probably dull for you."

Gray shook his head at her. "I want to hear about it because it's part of your life." She blushed as he reached across the table to rest his hand on hers. "'Sides, it's not like I've never had to deal with difficult clients."

She nodded, knowing the truth of that statement. They spent the rest of their dinner and the walk back to Juvia's apartment trading stories, Gray making sure she shared about her life as mush as he did his.

Once they reached her building, Juvia stopped and faced Gray. Looking down a bit shyly, she told him, "Juvia had a lot of fun tonight. Thank you for spending it with her."

Gray smiled. "I had a good time tonight, too." After a brief pause, he continued, "I'll walk with you to the games again in the morning. We have that dinner with Meredy and Lyon afterwards," he scowled a little here, "but would you like to spend the next evening with me? I'll do the planning this time."

She couldn't keep from beaming at him. "Juvia would like that very much."

His own smile widened. "Great. I'll see you in the morning, then." He hesitated for a moment, then turned and left. She watched him disappear from sight, heart beating rapidly in her chest, before heading up stairs to her own apartment. She couldn't keep a giddy smile from her lips as she got ready for bed, nor keep her thoughts from filling with hopeful possibilities.


	5. Chapter 4

Gray picked Juvia up again in front of her apartment the next morning. She was dressed casually in a tank top and simple knee length skirt, but Gray still thought she looked cute wearing that outfit with her hair up in a ponytail. He wondered if he should tell her that, then mentally grimaced at the memory of putting his foot in his mouth when he'd said something about her clothes yesterday morning. Instead he started speculating out loud about what the event for the day might be, and Juvia soon started giving her own input on the subject.

When they reached the plaza in front of the arena, Gray frowned as he spotted the reporter who'd hassled Juvia wandering around. He tried to steer them around her, but unfortunately the pest spotted them and intercepted them. Gray halted his steps, glaring at the woman. Taking a deep breath, she turned to Juvia spoke, "Look, I'm sorry about putting you on the spot yesterday. But I would like to interview you for Sorcerer Weekly. Not right now, of course, but sometime before the Games end."

He gave one last suspicious glance to the reporter before looking at Juvia, who was looking down at her feet as she thought the request over. Raising her head, she finally replied, "Okay, Juvia will do it."

Frowning a little, Gray turned his attention back to the reporter, who was smiling now. "Great! Would tomorrow after the Games are done for the day work for you?"

"Yes." After ironing out exactly where and when they would meet, the reporter strode off.

Before they started to make their way to the coliseum again, Gray asked, "Are you sure you want to do that?"

Juvia nodded. "Reporters would keep bugging Juvia for some kind of statement or something if she didn't talk to one of them. And she hopes that this way there will be less strange rumors about her."

Gray snorted as he started walking towards the entrances to the arena again. "They'll make up shit no matter what. There was one time they thought that I was dating Mira, just because I got to the guild early one morning so I was the only one at the bar having coffee."

"Well, Mira-san is a gorgeous woman, that any man would be happy to date," she replied, an odd tone in her voice.

"Not me. I remember her old Demon Mirajane days too well for that - she may be sweet most of the time now, but piss her off and…" He shuddered.

"Juvia sees." She sounded happier now. Had she been jealous over the idea of him dating Mirajane? If this had been before, he'd have been sure that she was - she'd never been that subtle about how she felt about 'Love Rivals' - but her more subdued demeanor since they'd met again made it harder to tell. Not that she had anything to truly worry about if she had been jealous - she was the only one he was interested in.

Once they gotten inside the arena and he'd brought her to the section set aside for their guild, he found himself lingering, wanting to spend a little more time with her. Like the morning before Juvia moved close to him, rose up onto her toes, and pressed her warm lips gently to his cheek. Looking away shyly afterwards, she mumbled, "Since it seems to have helped yesterday."

He could still feel the memory of her lips on his skin as he went to the lower balcony where the Fairy Tail team would gather. Natsu and Lucy were already there, but he didn't pay much attention to them as he walked past them to look out across the arena. "Didja not get enough sleep, Ice-head? You seem a little out of it," Natsu commented, his voice taunting.

Gray's face flushing a bit, he snapped back at Natsu, and the two of them ended up bickering until Lucy loudly clearing her throat got there attention. "Are you two going to save it for the competition, or do I need to call Erza to come straighten you two out?"

Both Gray and Natsu rapidly shook their heads. Pregnancy had not made Erza any less terrifying - if anything, her temper could be even more hair-trigger than it normally was at times.

The rest of their team had gathered and the stadium was plenty crowded by the time the announcers greeted everyone. "Welcome to the second day of this year's Grand Magic Games. In first place with twenty points is the previous champions, Fairy Tail. Blue Pegasus made a surprisingly good showing the first day, coming in at second place with sixteen points. Perennial contender Lamia Scale is in third place with ten points, while frequent champions Sabertooth have only eight points, putting them in fourth place. Mermaid Heel holds on to fifth place with four points, while Quattro Cerberus is stuck in last place with only two points to their name.

"Who will rise to the challenges we have in store for today, who will hold onto their places, and who will stumble and fall down the ranks? We're about to find out, starting with today's event - Bottle!"

Cana grinned as she declared, "That sounds right up my alley!"

Gray rolled his eyes at that - it's not like they'd hold a drinking contest for one of the events - but if she wanted to take this one he wasn't going to object. A whispered discussion between Ichiya and Jenny Realight resulted in Jenny joining the competition, while Orga volunteered to be Sabertooth's representative. Kagaura stepped up for Mermaid Heel, which prompted Lyon to join from Lamia Scale (perhaps he wanted a rematch against her). Warcry was the last entrant, from Quattro Cerberus.

Once they had all gathered in the middle of the arena, the announcers resumed their explanation as cloaking barriers fell at opposite ends to reveal a bar on one side and some tables with people seated at them on the other. "You will be making a set of drinks ordered by one of the tables, carrying them across the arena, and serving them. Ingredients and instructions on how to make the drinks will be available to you. Of course, to make this sufficiently challenging, you will be interfered with as you cross the arena. A drink must make it to the other side for it to count. The game will end when all the drinks have been successfully served or an hour has passed. You will be scored on speed, mixing skill, and demeanor while serving. Good luck!"

His eyebrows rose. So this did involve alcohol after all. Looking at Cana as she walked towards the bar area, he shouted, "Hey! Don't go drinking all the drinks you make!"

Cana's only response was to stick her tongue out at him before getting to work. That Blue Pegasus doubled as a host bar seemed to be helping out Jenny, who was the first to finish mixing drinks and start making her way across the arena. She hadn't gotten very far when ropes rose from the ground and tried to ensnare her legs. She managed to dodge them while keeping the drinks she carried intact, only to be dive bombed a few feet later by small flying lacrima devices.

The mages continued to be attacked from both the ground and the air as more of them started to take their drinks to the other side and the tables that waited for them there. Jenny's powerful Machina Take-Overs helped her get through, and it only took her a couple of trips to get all of the drinks to her customers, who she served with a wink and a smile. Kagura, like Erza, was the type of person who tried to excel in any task given to her and determinedly read the recipes and made her drinks, then managed to carry them across in a single trip, though it took her longer to make it across than Jenny did, and her attitude to the people she was serving wasn't as pleasant as Jenny's.

Cana had no problems mixing the drinks, of course, and her arsenal of cards could handle whatever was thrown at her. But she couldn't resist drinking some of what she made, requiring her to make the trip from the bar to the tables three times. Lyon used an ice elephant to simply trample over the ground based threats while countering the aerial threats with ice eagles, however he wasn't as good at mixing the drinks, having to go back and redo some of them.

Orga was able to power through the obstacles but had trouble getting the drinks across intact. And Warcry managed to get across by defending himself with his tear-based magic, but it tended to spill into the drinks, too, ruining them, making him the last one to finish.

Once the event was over and the judges consulted with the 'customers' about their impressions of the service, Jenny took first place and Kagura came in second, losing out based on the service element of the challenge. Cana got third place, Lyon made fourth, Orga managed fifth place, and Warcry ended up last, to no one's surprise.

There was the usual thirty minute intermission between the event and the individual matches, during which Gray teased Cana a little about her performance and idly speculated with the rest of his team about who might get picked to fight this time, though they didn't have much to go on. Still, he was surprised when he was one of the first pair called into the arena along with Meredy.

As he made his way down to the arena floor he considered the opponent he was about to face. Though he would have preferred to face off against Lyon if he had to be matched against a member of Lamia Scale's team, he'd seen Meredy in action a few times and knew she was no slouch. It'd be interesting to pit his magic against hers. Glancing back towards where the majority of Fairy Tail was seated in the stands, he saw that Juvia was standing by the railing, watching with interest. He wondered what she thought about this match up - she'd formed a friendship with Meredy after the two of them fought on Tenrou Island.

Once they were a few yards away from each other, they both stopped. Meredy had a small smile on her face as she asked, "You're not going to go easy on me just because we've been allies in the past, right?"

Gray scoffed. "Of course not. Fairy Tail mages fight to win."

Her smile widened. "Good, because so do I." Gray put his hands into the position necessary for him to mold ice, but raised an eyebrow at Meredy when she closed her eyes in concentration instead of getting ready to launch an attack herself. After a moment, her eyes flew open as she called out, "Sensory Link!" A familiar pink marking appeared on her wrist. He wasn't given long to wonder who Meredy had linked herself to, as she declared with a self-satisfied grin, "From now on, any attack you make on me will be felt by Juvia as well. Your move, Gray."

He looked back up at Juvia again, finding her watching the two of them with a worried expression. Even at this distance, he was able to catch a glimpse of pink on her wrist, confirming the truth of Meredy's words. Gray wondered if Juvia was worried about him or about what Meredy had done. He grit his teeth as he turned back to face Meredy, glaring at her unrepentant smile.

If he continued the match, Juvia would feel every wound he inflicted on Meredy, and the last thing he wanted to do was cause her more pain. But forfeiting here would cost his team ten points… He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. It was still early on in the games, and his team was doing quite well. Even if he lost here, they'd probably still keep first place, and they'd have plenty of other chances to pull ahead.

His decision made, Gray opened his eyes and ground out, "I forfeit." He immediately spun around and stormed out of the arena, missing the surprised look on Meredy's face and ignoring the voices rising behind him. Once he thought he was far enough down the tunnel leading out of the arena, he stopped and punched the wall, hard. Damn Meredy for making him choose between losing the match and hurting Juvia. But he couldn't let someone he cared about suffer because of him again.

Gray wasn't sure how long he stood there, trying to bring his anger under control. He was able to tamp it down, but it was still simmering within him as he prepared to go out that evening. To be honest, spending time with Lyon and Meredy was the last thing he wanted to do considering the mood he was in, but he knew Juvia really wanted to spend time with them, and he wasn't going to stand Juvia up or make her go alone.

After briefly greeting Juvia when they met up at her apartment, all he said was a terse, "Let's go," before turning to head out of the building. She quickly caught up to him and they walked in silence towards the restaurant Lyon had chosen, Gray so occupied by his own thoughts that he barely noticed how nice Juvia looked in an elegant knee-length pale green dress with a white lacy shawl wrapped around her shoulders.

They were about halfway to their destination when Juvia took his hand in hers and stopped walking. Stopping as well, he turned to look at her, but her head was bowed so he couldn't meet her eyes. "Gray-sama is angry about the match today, isn't he," she said more than asked. He wasn't sure how to respond, but she appeared to take his silence as confirmation as she continued, "Juvia is sorry that you lost the match because of her."

He shook his head at her. "I'm not angry at you - I don't regret the choice I made. Meredy was the one to put me in that position by endangering you - she's the one I'm pissed at."

She looked up at him, seeming a little surprised by his words. "Juvia is sure that Meredy meant no real harm to her. She would've felt some temporary pain, but it would've been gone as soon as Meredy dropped the link. Juvia may not have her magic anymore, but she still could've handled it."

Gray took a deep breath and sighed, shifting his hand so he could grasp one of her hands properly. "I know, but… You've been through enough because of me. I didn't want to hurt you more with my own hands, not just to win these games."

Juvia squeezed his hand gently. "It makes her happy that you care that much about her, but Juvia would've been okay with suffering a little for Fairy Tail to win."

He shook his head. "It shouldn't have been a choice I had to make in the first place. Meredy should've left you out of our fight."

"Juvia supposes that wasn't very in the spirit of the games, no," she agreed.

Gray took another deep breath. "C'mon, we're going to be late if we keep standing here talking." Neither of them let go of the other's hand as he stepped forward, and the feeling of her hand in his, warm and soft, slowly drained some of his anger as they walked the rest of the way to the restaurant.

The hostess lead them to a table where the other couple was already sitting, and he couldn't keep his expression from darkening when he spotted Meredy. She was looking down at her plate, fiddling with the napkin wrapped around her silverware. Lyon was sitting to her right, watching her with a serious expression. Gray took the seat across from her, and Juvia sat to his right, between him and Meredy.

Meredy looked up when they sat down, throwing a nervous look in Lyon's direction before saying, "Look, I'm sorry about what I did during our fight earlier. I shouldn't have involved other people, particularly not someone we both care about." Gray just continued to give her a flat look as she fidgeted before elaborating more. "You know where I started out, and between that and being a part of Crime Sorciere, I'm used to exploiting any kind of weakness an opponent has to beat them. But as Lyon reminded me, some of the tactics that are okay for life and death battles aren't okay at all in other contexts. I went too far for something that's supposed to be a fun contest, and I can only hope you'll be willing to forgive me."

Between what she'd just said and her truly contrite expression, Gray could feel himself softening towards her. And the woman sitting beside him clearly had no qualms about letting the matter go as she quickly told Meredy, "Juvia had already forgiven you." Then she turned to him with an expectant look.

Gray grumbled a little under his breath, still not entirely happy about what had happened, but said, "I forgive you. Just don't pull something like that again, okay?"

Meredy quickly nodded, a relieved smile spreading across her face. "I was kinda surprised you forfeited though. I thought it would just make you hesitate when attacking me."

He looked away, feeling a bit uncomfortable with the topic. "I want Fairy Tail to win, sure, but some things matter more." Gray could feel Lyon watching him with a knowing look in his eyes.

"Well, now that that's settled, would you two like to hear about Meredy's first mission as a member of Lamia Scale?" Grateful that Lyon was changing the subject, Gray looked towards him in time to catch an amused glint in his eyes and twist to his lips.

"Ah, I don't think they'd really find that story interesting…" Meredy commented, a hint of nervousness in her voice and a touch of pink in her cheeks.

"Juvia would love to hear more about when Meredy joined Lamia Scale," she said eagerly, apparently missing that the story was probably an embarrassing one.

Stifling a snicker, he encouraged Lyon with a, "Yeah, go on." He may have forgiven Meredy, but she deserved a little harmless payback for what she’d done. After a brief interruption by their server to take their orders, Lyon proceeded to relate the story, which had Gray and Juvia laughing while Meredy threatened to stab Lyon with her tableware. With a considerably lighter mood than the dinner had started with, the four of them continued talking after that even after their food was served, though Lyon and Meredy took the lion's share of the spotlight while telling Juvia about various events they'd been involved in over the past three years. Gray chipped in his own two jewels when he felt like it, but he mostly just enjoyed how happy Juvia was talking with them.

After a while, both Meredy and Juvia excused themselves to go to the restroom. As he watched them walk away, Gray wondered out loud, "What's with women and going to the bathroom in groups, anyway?"

"It's so they can talk about us without us overhearing them, of course," Lyon told him with an amused smirk.

Huh. That actually made sense, not that he would admit that to Lyon. After a moment, the smirk left his face, a serious look taking its place. "How are things going between you and Juvia?"

Put on the spot like that, Gray felt his old impulses to deny that there was anything going on between him and Juvia try to resurface, but he pushed them down. They'd lost too much time for him to waste more of it denying the truth. Besides, he had a feeling Lyon would see through any denials from him, anyway. Instead, he looked down at his plate and pushed what was left of his dinner around. "We're… We've been able to spend time together comfortably, so that's good. I know where I want things to go, but I'm not sure what she wants anymore."

He looked up after his quiet confession to find Lyon looking at him with sympathetic eyes. "I don't think you have anything to worry about there - she still looks at you with the same warm gaze that she used to. So have some confidence in yourself and what you feel."

Gray nodded. "I'm trying to, but that's easier said than done."

"It always is," Lyon agreed.

He raised an eyebrow at Lyon. "You never seemed to have trouble putting yourself out there when you were going after Juvia."

"Just because I made it look easy doesn't mean it was," Lyon replied with a smirk. "But seriously, I hope things work out for you two. I have Meredy now, and she makes me happy, but I'll always have a soft spot for Juvia. And believe it or not, I care about you, too. I think you could make each other very happy, and I want that for you both."

A few different expressions half-formed on Gray's face as he listened to what Lyon had to say, finally settling into a small smile. "Um, well, thanks."

Gray was saved from coming up with a better reply than that by the return of their companions. As Juvia smiled upon meeting his eyes, her whole expression brightening, he thought that Lyon might have a point after all.

They all talked for a while longer, even after they'd all finished their dinners, but eventually the four of them rose to depart, Gray and Lyon having to spend a few minutes scrounging for unthinkingly discarded jackets. The group separated into pairs outside the restaurant, with Gray escorting Juvia back to her apartment. It look almost a block's worth of walking for Gray to gather enough determination to offer Juvia his arm, which she took with a smile and slightly pink cheeks.

The walk was quiet but peaceful, and they reached the door of her apartment building in what seemed too short a time. Releasing his arm, she stepped away a little so she could turn to face him. "Juvia really enjoyed tonight. Thank you for coming with her."

"I had a surprisingly fun time," he agreed. Standing there, with the light of the moon silvering her hair, Gray was struck again by just how good she looked in the outfit she'd chosen for the night, lovely and elegant. His heart beating quicker in his chest, he reached out to tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear. What would she do if he kissed her like he wanted to? Would she welcome it, or…?

He leaned towards her, and she seemed to be holding her breath as her eyes fluttered closed. Moving even closer, his lips brushed against the soft skin of her forehead, lingering there for a moment before he drew back. Her eyes flickered open, looking happy but also a little confused, and maybe even… disappointed? Clearing his throat, he glanced away as he said, "Good night, Juvia."

"Good night, Gray-sama," she returned with a smile before turning away and entering her building.

Once she was gone, Gray lightly hit his head against the wall with a groan. He'd chickened out. As he turned to go back to the hotel, he couldn't keep from thinking about what could have happened if he'd actually gone through with it, either good or bad. But he'd never know what would've happened, because he hadn't done it. And he wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not.


	6. Chapter 5

Walking together with Gray to the Domus Flau from her apartment was starting to become a habit, not that Juvia minded. Being able to talk with Gray about whatever was on their minds while making their way through the streets of Crocus spread a feeling of contentment through her. The crowds were as large as ever, interest in the games still running high.

Once they were inside the arena and at the point where they needed to go their separate ways, Gray stepped in front of her, expression serious. “Are you sure you want to go through with that interview today? If you’re not comfortable with it, you could always back out.”

Her heart fluttering in her chest from how concerned about her he was, she smiled and reassured him, “Yes, Juvia is sure. She can handle giving an interview to a reporter, and she still thinks it would be better if she gave one rather than let the press speculate without any basis.”

He snorted at that. “These reporters don’t care about the truth, they just care about what will keep their readers’ interest.”

“Lucy was a reporter for Sorcerer Weekly for a while, you know,” Juvia reminded him.

“Yeah, well, she’s an exception,” he replied, crossing his arms over his chest. “She’s worked in a guild and sees us as real people, not fodder for her next story.”

She sighed, not really wanting to argue about this with him. “Gray-sama should go join his team.”

He raised an eyebrow at her and asked in a teasing tone, “No good luck kiss this time?”

Juvia felt her cheeks warm a little as she looked down at her hands, twisting her fingers together. “Juvia didn’t think that mattered to you. Besides, it didn’t seem to help much the last time.”

Gray shrugged. “Sometimes not even luck can help. And it didn’t turn out that badly.”

She looked up to find him gazing at her with hopeful eyes. Her cheeks flushing a little more, Juvia went up on tip toes to press her lips to his cheek. Her heart continued to beat like mad in her chest when he smiled at her before heading to the balcony set aside for Fairy Tail’s team. She spent a few minutes with her hands pressed against her warm cheeks, willing herself to calm down, before making her way to the seating set aside for the rest of the guild.

Juvia took up a position by the railing that overlooked the arena floor, as she had for the past couple of days. She wanted to have a good view of the competitions. Lisanna, who was also standing at the railing with her older brother Elfman, gently nudged her in the side while sporting a sly smile. “So, how is it going between you and Gray?”

“Oh, um,” Juvia replied, twisting a lock of hair through her fingers. “Juvia’s happy that Gray-sama is spending so much time with her. But, well… does Lisanna think he just wants to spend time with an old friend, or…?”

She hadn’t even finished the question before Lisanna was laughing and shaking her head. “I’ve known him for ages, and I’ve never seen him seek out someone’s company the way he’s been seeking yours. And you didn’t see how he acted while we didn’t know where you were - always asking us if we’d seen you on missions and listening for rumors of where you might be.”

“Oh,” Juvia said, ducking her head as she blushed a little. What Lisanna was saying agreed with what Meredy told her last night when they’d ended up on the topic, and Lisanna was more familiar with Gray than Meredy was. And then there was how it had seemed for a moment that Gray was going to kiss her last night, and _did_ kiss her forehead, something that made her chest feel warm just thinking about it even now.

But doubts still lurked around the edges of her mind, reminding her that Gray could just be being kind. (And she knew how kind he could be, even to an enemy.) She was happy to spend time with him, even if it truly was just as friends, and she wasn’t sure if she should even be hoping for more. And even though he’d said he’d forfeited the match yesterday because he didn’t want to hurt her, even indirectly, she wondered if he really would’ve felt the same way if she could still use her magic…

The announcers starting the games for the day broke her out of her thoughts, and she focused her attention on what they were saying. “The rankings after two days of competition are as follows: tied for first place are the unpredictable Fairy Tail and surprise challengers Blue Pegasus with twenty-six points! Third place goes to consistent competitors Lamia Scale with twenty-four points! Sabertooth remains mired in fourth place with twenty-two points, though with such a small point spread the Grand Magic Games remain anyone’s to win! And Quattro Cerberus has pulled abreast of Mermaid Heel with twelve points each as they fight to determine who will get last place!

“Now the theme for today’s event is… Journey! Who wants to step up and participate in this contest?!”

A quiet consultation among Sabertooth’s ranks resulted in Yukino stepping forward. Apparently that sparked Lucy’s desire to participate, because she was the next one to head for the arena floor. Risley was the participant sent forth by Mermaid Heel, and Lamia Scale selected Meredy. The final person to join in was Nobarly from Quattro Cerberus.

“Well, now that we have this selection of lovely ladies - and yes, this gentleman as well - it’s time for your Journey to start.” The announcer waved his arm and a collection of slides, walls, rope netting, and mud slicks grew from the floor of the arena, ending at a tower from which six flags flew, one for each of the guilds. “The sooner you navigate this maze of obstacles and capture your guild’s flag, the better your score. Get ready, get set, go!”

Juvia cheered her heart out with the rest of the guild as Lucy joined the rush to start the course. When the games had started, she’d been worried that she’d begin to resent her guildmates for being able to do what she no longer do. But while watching these mages struggle to win the competitions brought a bitter pang to her heart, knowing she would never be part of these games again, she wasn't holding it against those who still could. And her lack of magic didn’t keep the rest of the guild from treating her like she was a much a part of it as she had been before. That feeling of belonging was something she didn’t want to let go of now that she had found it again. But would it really last if she returned to Magnolia with them…?

The front runners in this contest were Yukino and Risley, both having access to gravity magic that let them vault over the obstacles in their way easily while bogging down their opponents. Near the end, Risley tried to bog down Yukino with her magic, only for Yukino to negate it with Libra while summoning Pisces to throw her back. It didn’t take long for Risley to get back up and regain her ground, but it was enough of an edge to let Yukino take Sabertooth’s flag and first place.

Juvia hadn’t seen Lucy use her Star Dress abilities before, and was very impressed as she watched her use a combination of her whip, rope arrows courtesy of Sagittarius, and Aries’ fluff to wend her way through the obstacles place before her. Juvia couldn’t help feeling proud of how much Lucy had grown as a mage compared to the easily intimidated heiress she had started out as. She cheered as wildly as the rest of the guild as Lucy snatched their flag from where it was hung to secure third place.

Meredy‘s abilities weren’t as suited to navigating the course as some of the other mages, but she had plenty of experience in getting into hard to reach locations to aid her in getting through, with the occasional boost from a well-placed and angled burst of Maguilty Rays. Quattro Cerberus’s representative, Nobarly, revealed himself to have a rather interesting magic - he could stretch his limbs in a manner almost reminiscent of Makarov’s Titan magic, though he could only increase their length, not their girth. This was a definite aid in traversing the obstacles, though he slowed himself down at times by getting tangled up with himself. And while Eve's snow magic could be used to hinder the other contestants, it wasn’t much help in getting himself through the course, nor was he the most physically adept of mages, resulting in him being the last of them to retrieve his guild’s flag.

The regular half-hour intermission between the themed contest and the one on one fights passed quickly. Blue Pegasus won over Quattro Cerebus, Rufus Lore managed to outdo Yuka Suzuki, and Natsu came out victorious over Mermaid Heel’s Milliana, partly because even without his magic Natsu was pretty strong physically, and Milliana could never seem to wrap up more than one of his limbs with her magic-negating tubing at a time.

Of course, Juvia was only paying half-attention to the fights anyway, because as the time for her interview grew closer, she was starting to get nervous. She didn’t know what kind of questions the reporter was going to ask, and she knew that talking to people wasn’t really one of her strong suits. But she’d agreed to do it, and it would look bad if she backed out. So once the games were over for the day, she gathered her courage and made her way to the location the reporter wanted to meet her at, a small cafe tucked away on one of Crocus’s side streets.

When Juvia arrived there, the place was only half full, even with the city as crowded with tourists as it was. The reporter was already there, and she stood to greet Juvia with a smile. “Hi, I’m glad you were able to make it.”

She nodded. “Juvia is grateful for this opportunity to set the record straight.”

Stacey gestured to the table she had been sitting at. “Why don’t you sit down and we can get started. Oh, would you like anything?”

“Ah, Juvia would like some Earl Grey tea, please.”

After calling a waitress over and placing Juvia’s order, Stacey took out a notepad and pen. Flipping the notepad open, she smiled and said, “Let me know when you’re ready for the first question.”

Juvia took a deep breath before telling her, “Go ahead.”

“When Fairy Tail was disbanded three years ago, you didn’t join another mage guild, nor were there any reports of you taking any jobs as an independent mages. And when Fairy Tail was reformed, you didn’t return like most of the core members did. Our readers are quite curious as to why you appear to have retired completely. And does your appearance here at the Grand Magic Games mean that you intend to rejoin Fairy Tail?”

She wasn’t surprised that the reporter was asking about this - she’d kept enough with news of the magic world to know that there had been speculation about the reasons for her sudden retirement. So it didn’t take long for her to compose her answer. “The truth is that Juvia sustained life-threatening injuries from magic barrier particles during Fairy Tail’s battle against the dark guild Tartarus. She survived, but her ability to use magic was permanently damaged. Thus, Juvia can no longer take jobs as a mage. As far as rejoining Fairy Tail goes, Juvia has always been a member in her heart, whether the guild was together or not, and whether Juvia has been in contact with the rest of the guild or not. She has been quite happy to be able to spend time with them again while they are here in Crocus for the games, though.”

“I see,” Stacey commented. “So there’s no truth to the rumors that you had a love child with one of your guildmates and you left the guild to raise them?”

Juvia could feel her face burning as she burst out with a “No!” More calmly, she continued, “No, no truth at all.” Her tea arrived, and she accepted it with a grateful smile, busying herself with stirring a spoonful of sugar into it.

The reporter hmmed as she made more notes on her notepad. “Do you really think it’s possible for a mage guild to consider a person incapable of using magic one of them?”

She firmly replied, “Some guilds are solely places to find work, and perhaps they would never consider allowing a member who can no longer do magic to remain a part of them. But to Fairy Tail, the members of the guild are a family, and family doesn’t abandon you when hardships come.”

“Yes, Fairy Tail has always had a rather unusual philosophy.” Stacey spent a moment finishing her latest notes before asking, “Gray Fullbuster, Fairy Tail’s well-known ice-make mage, has been spending a lot of time in your company since his arrival in Crocus for the Games. Care to share the story behind that?”

Juvia shrugged, not sure she liked where this line of questioning might be going. “Gray-sama has asked to spend time with Juvia while he is here, and she has been quite happy to oblige.”

Stacey hmmmed again. “You have long held romantic feelings for your guildmate, right?”

She nodded. “Juvia has made no secret of how she feels about him.”

“Yes, we all remember your… displays the time you competed in the Grand Magic Games.” Juvia frowned a little at the reporter’s tone. “And you have held onto your feelings for him even after having not seen him for years?”

Juvia nodded again. “Circumstances may have kept Juvia and Gray-sama apart, but her heart has never wavered in its love for him.” Even when she had locked her love for him away, thinking he wanted nothing to do with her because she killed his father, it hadn’t faded.

“Then you must be quite pleased to have garnered so much of his attention lately,” Stacey told her with a sweet smile. “But how long do you think your relationship will last? After all, pity only lasts for so long, and Gray works with many beautiful, powerful mages… They could easily catch his eye.” Her smile had shifted into something cold that reminded Juvia of a shark smelling blood in the water.

Motions stiff, Juvia slowly sipped some of her tea before setting the cup down. Choosing her words carefully, Juvia replied, “Gray-sama has not said that he is dating Juvia. And while Juvia may hope Gray-sama will come to love her as much as she does him someday, who he chooses to love is entirely up to him, and she will respect whatever choice he makes.”

“I see,” Stacey replied with a tight smile. “How admirable.” Making some last notes in her notepad, she stood. “Well, that’s all the questions I have time for today. Thank you for setting aside this time to talk with me.”

“Juvia appreciates having the opportunity to do so,” she replied, though her tone conveyed no appreciation at all.

“Feel free to finish your tea,” the reporter tossed out over her shoulder as she left after placing some money on the table.

Staring down into her mostly full cup of tea, Juvia realized she no longer found it appealing whatsoever. She got up from the table and left the cafe, her feet carrying her back to her apartment without her really thinking about it. As she moved mechanically to get ready to go out with Gray again that evening, she tried to summon the enthusiasm she’d felt the previous nights that they’d spent together, but it just wouldn’t come.

Instead, the doubts that had been lurking at the edges of her thoughts were now wrapping around her heart, telling her that Gray just felt guilty that she lost her magic because of her fight against the necromancer that had been controlling his father. That’s why he’d been going out of his way to spend time with her, and why he didn’t want to let her get hurt - because he felt responsible for her losing her magic. And any signs she’d thought she’d seen that he might feel something more for her was just her misreading the situation like she used to.

Juvia managed to force a convincing smile onto her face when Gray arrived to pick her up. Their destination that evening was the royal family’s flower gardens, which were open to the public. She’d mentioned during the first time they’d gone out together that she’d wanted to visit them but had never found the time. But she felt too troubled to enjoy them as she should, looking at the flowers without really seeing them and staying mostly silent as they walked through the gardens.

Finally, Gray stopped and turned to her, expression serious. “Okay, what’s bothering you? You’ve barely said anything and you don’t look like you’re enjoying this at all.” Juvia bit her lip, wondering if she should try to convince him it wasn’t anything to worry about. “Did that reporter give you a hard time?”

“Not a hard time exactly, but…” After taking a deep breath to steady herself, she slowly started explaining what Stacey had said about the two of them. “But Juvia understands that Gray-sama just worries about her because of what happened with Keyes, and she won’t read too much into it. And really, Gray-sama doesn’t need to go out of his way to spend time with Juvia, she’s doing fine,” she finished, turning her head away so she didn’t have to keep looking Gray in the eye.

Silence stretched between them until Gray burst out with, “That’s… Where does she get off, saying crap like that to you?!” She felt Gray take her hands in hers, and turned back to him to find him scowling down at her. “I don’t care if you can’t use magic anymore - that might matter for who I want to partner with on jobs, but it doesn’t matter when it comes to who I want to be my partner in life. There’s much more important things, like loyalty and caring, and you… you have those in spades. And as far as I’m concerned, you’re the best looking woman in Fairy Tail. I’ve been spending time with you, not because I feel guilty or obligated, but _because I want to_. And I hope you want to spend time with me too.”

Juvia stared at him, her eyes wide and starting to fill with tears. As they began to spill over and slip down her cheeks, Gray jerked back, letting go of her hands and raising his arms defensively. “Oi! Why’re you crying?!”

She shook her head and tried to wipe away her tears. “Juvia just… never expected Gray-sama to say anything like that to her. Does he really mean it?”

Gray stepped closer to her again, brushing her hair out of her face and tucking it behind her ear. “I wouldn’t have said it if I didn’t. You’re the one I want to have by my side.” He took a deep breath before continuing. “And you weren’t quite right when you were talking to the reporter. I might not have said so, but I wanted the times we went out together to be dates. I just didn’t know if you wanted them to be dates, too. I want us to be together.” He reached out to cup her cheeks with his hands. “And, every time I’ve been alone with you, I’ve wanted to kiss you. I just don’t know if you would want me to.”

Their eyes locked together, she murmured, “Juvia does.”

Gray blinked. “Huh?”

“Juvia wants you to kiss her,” she clarified.

He leaned close enough that she could feel his breath on her lips. “Right now?” he whispered, and she gave a small nod before letting her eyes drift close. The first time he kissed her it was hesitant, a gentle brush of his lips against hers, but it still sent shocks reverberating through her body.

The second time he kissed her his lips pressed more firmly against hers and he didn’t pull away, allowing her to actually return the kiss this time. Every time his mouth moved against hers it lit off more sparks inside of her. Her hands found their way up to tangle in his dark hair, while one of his hands cradled the back of her head and his other arm wrapped around her shoulders to bring her closer. The kiss was filled with raw emotion, love and longing finally fulfilled.

It was only when they finally pulled away from each other and noticed that people were staring at them that they remembered that they were in a fairly public location. Leaping away from each other, they both flushed red. Rubbing the back of his head, Gray suggested, “Why don’t we continue looking at the flowers? I think you’ll enjoy them more now.”

“Ah, yes,” she agreed. As they started walking to a different part of the gardens, Gray slowly reached out and took her hand, clearly not wanting to be caught doing so. Smiling a little to herself, she gave his hand a brief squeeze.

While walking through the rest of the gardens, Gray couldn’t seem to resist stealing small kisses from her when no one was watching, something that sent a small thrill through her every time it happened. He even did it a few times while they went out for dinner afterwards. Juvia couldn’t keep from smiling the whole time as they walked back to her apartment.

When they reached her apartment, she turned to Gray, who had his hands tucked casually into his pockets. “Juvia had a very nice, um… date with you tonight.” Just saying the word date made her heart beat faster, and it sped up even more when he smiled at her.

“Yeah, me too,” he replied, stepping closer to her. His voice lowered as he asked, “But aren’t dates supposed to end with a good night kiss?” His gaze dipped to her lips briefly before returning to her eyes.

She licked her lips and breathed out, “Yes, they are.” Her eyes were already sliding closed as his lips descended upon hers. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she melted into the kiss. They lost track of time completely as they reveled in the sensations of their lips on each other’s. Juvia wanted to lose herself like this in him forever, but eventually Gray pulled back, leaving them both breathing hard.

He planted a couple of brief kisses on her lips before pulling away completely. “Good night, Juvia.”

“Good night, Gray-sama.” She watched him walk away before turning and entering her own building. Juvia felt like she was on cloud nine, she could barely believe this night had really happened. But if it was a dream, it was one she never wanted to wake up from.


	7. Chapter 6

When Gray met Juvia the next morning, she smiled at him a little uncertainly. "Part of Juvia is having trouble believing she didn't dream up what happened last night," she confessed quietly.

After quickly glancing around to see if anyone was watching them, he leaned forward and pressed a brief kiss to her lips. "Does that help convince you it was real?"

"It does, though perhaps Gray-sama could give Juvia a few more reminders," she suggested, her smile a touch sly.

Gray chuckled and replied, "Maybe later, when there's less people to gawk at us." He did let her take hold of his arm while they walked towards Domus Flau, though, enjoying the time spent walking and talking with her.

Their trip through Crocus was uneventful, and soon they had passed through the competitors' entrance to the stadium. Gray couldn't keep from smiling as he looked down at Juvia as they stood where their paths would split, remembering that they were now officially together. "Y'know," he commented casually, "I think giving someone a good luck kiss on the lips is supposed to be even more effective than giving them one on the cheek."

Juvia raised an eyebrow at him but smiled. "Is that so? Does Gray-sama want to test this theory?"

"Couldn't hurt, right?" This time, when Juvia lifted up on tiptoe, he wrapped an arm loosely around her waist and leaned forward to meet her. Closing his eyes, he simply enjoyed the feeling of her body brushing up against his and his mouth moving against hers for a long moment before they both pulled away.

"See you afterwards." Gray gave her one last smile before heading for the balcony set aside for Fairy Tail's team. With slightly pink cheeks and what was probably a silly grin stuck on her face, Juvia moved to join the rest of the guild. It only took one look at her to make Lisanna wander over and ask, "Well, what's got you in such a good mood?"

Looking down a bit bashfully, she replied, "Juvia and Gray are dating now."

"Officially? That's great! C'mon, tell me all the details!" Lisanna's excitement caught the attention of other guild members, and soon Juvia found herself explaining what happened to some of the other women in the guild, including a tearful Erza.

Down where the team was waiting for the games to start for the day, Natsu looked up, head cocked to one side. "Why're they all carrying on about you and Juvia, Frosty?"

Gray rolled his eyes, but was in too good of a mood to be too irritated with Natsu. "We're officially going out now," he explained shortly.

"Huh? But weren't you guys together already?" Natsu asked, making Lucy sigh and shake her head beside him.

On the other side of Gray, Gajeel gave him a scrutinizing glance. "You takin' this seriously?"

Gray scoffed. "I'm not the type to play games."

Gajeel smirked at him. "Good, 'cause if you hurt her, you're gonna have problems."

Before Gray could snipe back, the sound of the PA system coming on pulled everyone's attention back to the arena. "Welcome back for the fourth exciting day of this year's Grand Magic Games! As we enter into the home stretch, Sabertooth is riding high in first place with forty-six points! Hot on their heels in second place with forty-two points is Fairy Tail! Blue Pegasus is hanging onto third place with thirty-six points! Lagging a little behind with twenty-eight points is Lamia Scale in fourth place! Mermaid Heel makes it to fifth place with twenty points! And bringing up the rear with fourteen points is Quattro Cerberus!

"But there are still a number of points to win before the end that could really shake things up! And the first of those points will be awarded in today's event - King!"

Gray was the first one on his team to declare, "I'll go!", beating Natsu out by a second. To prevent fights, a rule had been put into place among their team that if two people wanted to participate in an event, if neither one was willing to back down the first one who declared their intention would be chosen.

"Go give 'em hell!" Cana shouted in encouragement, and he gave her a thumbs up before starting to head down to the arena floor, Natsu grousing behind him. Gray was feeling good that day - he wouldn't say that he was 'fired up', that was Natsu's thing, but he was confident and energized.

His good mood was tested when Minerva stepped forward to participate from among Sabertooth's team. As someone who has given Erza a run for her money at times, she wouldn't be an easy opponent to beat. Yuka was chosen from Lamia Scale, while Ren was selected from Blue Pegasus. Beth nervously stepped down from Mermaid Heel's section, and Semmes of Quattro Cerberus finished out the group.

Once all six competitors had gathered on the floor of the arena, the announcers began speaking again as a large mound of earth began growing up out of the ground before them. "The objective of this game is to reach the top of this hill and stay there as long as you can. Of course, once you're the king, everyone else will be trying to knock you down and take your place! Points will be awarded based on how much time you manage to spend as king! Get ready… Get set… And _go_!"

As everyone raced towards the hill, Gray put his hands together and gathered his magic, already planning how to tilt the odds in his favor. "Ice-Make: Silver!" Ice raced forward, covering the hill in a gleaming coat. He smirked - no one else would be as comfortable moving across icy surfaces as he would be. Bounding up the side of the hill, his smirk vanished when he realized that someone had beaten him to the top. Minerva stood confidently at the crest of the hill, ready to take on all comers.

Keeping low to avoid being spotted, Gray set up cannons at a few different points around the top before moving forward to attack Minerva. She managed to block all of the attacks he and his cannons sent forth at her, but defending herself in that many directions did seem to strain her concentration. Stopping his own attacks for a moment, he reached down to touch the ice beneath him, and bent it to his will. Reshaping the ice directly below Minerva, the attack from an unexpected direction knocked her into the air and over the side of the hill.

Knowing better than to think such an attack would take her out for long, Gray hurried to claim the place of king for himself. Redirecting the cannons he'd already created to fire down the slopes of the hill, he began making more to defend his perch. He was still in the process of shoring up his defenses when suddenly he was somewhere lower on the hill again, Minerva shooting him a smug smile from where he had just been. Narrowing his eyes at her, he directed all the fire power he'd created towards her.

Most of the rest of the game proceeded like that, with Gray and Minerva trading places in the top spot. Yuka was the next most successful at becoming king, his anti-magic magic a powerful tool against other mages. Ren managed to become king briefly a couple of times by taking advantage of openings created by the others, and Semmes even managed to gain the top once before being summarily booted out by Minerva. Beth was the only one who didn't manage to make it to the top at all, her plant-based magic unsuited for this kind of fight and hampered by the ice-covered ground.

Whenever Gray felt his strength flagging as the contest wore on, he reminded himself that he was fighting for the pride of his guild. He also thought of Juvia up in the stands, watching and cheering for him. He couldn't disappoint the faith she had in him.

After the end of the game was called, Gray sagged to his knees on top of the hill, breathing hard. The ordeal had left him exhausted and aching, and he didn't think he'd managed to stay king for longer than Minerva had, but as frustrating as that was he still thought he'd finally managed a showing in the games he could be proud of.

As the competitors left the arena, they were checked over by doctors for injuries and given a potion to help restore their stamina. He bore with the fussing with as much patience as he could muster, wanting it to be over with so he could return to his team. After a span of time that felt entirely too long, he was allowed to go. Making his way through the tunnels back up to the booth for his team, he was surprised to find Erza waiting for him near the point where the paths to the team booth and the main seating area for the guild split. "You did well out there, Gray," she told him with a warm smile.

"Yeah," he agreed. "Didn't get first place, but you know how tough Minerva can be."

"I've also heard that you have asked Juvia to be your girlfriend," she continued.

He shrugged, a little uncomfortable with the amount of interest people were showing in the subject. "You could put it that way."

Even though Erza had gotten more touchy-feely with her pregnancy, he wasn't expecting her to pull him into a hug right then. He froze for a moment, then awkwardly put his arms around her to return it. "I'm happy for you both. We both know how hard it can be to actually reach out and grasp happiness, don't we?"

Leaning his head against her shoulder, Gray's voice was a little rough as he replied, "Yeah."

Giving him a pat on the back that was still strong enough to make him wince a little, she said, "I'm proud of you," before pulling away, looking a bit teary eyed. "Well! You must be tired after fighting so hard, so I'll let you go up and rest."

Watching Erza make her way up the stairs to Fairy Tail's section, Gray called out, "Hey!" When she paused and turned to look back over her shoulder at him, he smiled at her and said, "Thanks." She smiled back, then continued on her way.

After taking a moment, Gray followed the other hallway to where the rest of the team was. He accepted both compliments and claims that someone else would've done better (mostly from Gajeel and Natsu) with good grace during the thirty minute intermission before the individual matches.

The first match this time was Mira versus Quattro Cerberus's Bacchus. Bacchus was no pushover, but Mira's ability to fly and long-distance attacks gave her an edge, and she wasn't pulling her punches this time - apparently she was still kind of pissed about Bacchus trying to use a bet to sleep with her and Lisanna, not that Gray could blame her. He was a bit surprised when Lyon was matched against Sherry, knowing how much in love with Lyon she had once been. That didn't seem to make her hesitate, though, as she sent waves of dolls pulled from the floor of the arena against Lyon's ice creatures. Lyon won out over her in the end, but she put up a good fight. The last fight was Mermaid Heel's Kagura against Orga from Sabertooth. As the Lightning God Slayer, Orga was a powerful mage, but Kagura was better, knocking him out cold in the end.

Once the final match was over, he quickly left the rest of the team behind so he could catch Juvia before she left the arena. Leading her off to the side, he told her, "I know we were supposed to go out tonight, but I'm still kinda beat from the event today. Do you think we could just spend the evening at your place?"

Her eyes softening, she smiled gently at him. "Juvia wouldn't mind that at all. Shall she expect to see you at seven?"

Gray smiled back at her a bit tiredly. "Yeah, that sounds good. Thanks, Juvia."

Taking a shower perked him up a bit, but Gray was glad he could pick something on the casual side - but still somewhat nice - to wear and that he only had to walk over to Juvia's apartment before getting a chance to put his feet up. When he knocked on her door, she opened it to reveal that she'd also opted to wear something nice but casual. "Come in please, Gray-sama. Juvia was just putting the finishing touches on dinner."

Stepping inside and closing the door behind him, Gray asked, "What're you cooking? It smells delicious."

"Just an old recipe Juvia learned when she was young," she replied as she returned to the kitchen. "Please sit on the couch - Juvia's afraid dinner will have to be eaten there. She doesn't get visitors often, so she usually just eats at the counter in here."

"Don't worry about it," he told her as he gratefully sunk down into the couch. The pair of plates she carried in from the kitchen held wide noodles covered in a creamy sauce containing beef and mushrooms. She deposited the plates on the coffee table before returning to the kitchen for a couple of glasses of water. He had to pick up the plate to bring it reasonably close to his mouth, but the slight awkwardness was worth it for the opportunity to savor every bite of the dish. "This is good," he told her between forkfuls.

Cheeks going pink, she replied, "Juvia is glad Gray-sama likes it."

"If all your cooking is this good, I'd gladly eat it for the rest of my life," he said, half-joking, making her flush more.

Once their plates had practically been licked clean (particularly Gray's), Juvia got up and returned them to the kitchen. When she can back, she didn't quite look at him as she asked, "Would it be okay if Juvia spent some time sewing this evening? She has some embroidery to do for a commission that she was planning on working on while the Games were going on - she wasn't expecting to be so busy during them…"

"Hopefully a good kind of busy, though. And sure, that's fine." As she gathered what she would need to work on her project, Gray stood up and went over to where he remembered Juvia kept some movie lacrima and started looking through them. Finding one that looked interesting, he asked, "Hey, do you mind if I watch one of these while you sew?"

She shook her head. "Not at all - Juvia often puts them on for background noise while she works."

Putting the lacrima down in a good spot, he made sure it would start from the beginning then turned it on, settling back down next to Juvia on the couch as the lacrima began projecting the movie above it. Getting comfortable, Gray draped an arm loosely over Juvia's shoulders, pulling her a little closer.

The movie turned out to be fairly interesting, and he felt himself relaxing as he sat together with Juvia as she worked away on the cloth in her hands. He didn't know much about the type of work she was doing, but from the few glances he snuck at it, the pattern she was gradually creating looked pretty intricate.

Once the movie was finished he started to feel a bit restless, though. Turning a little more towards Juvia, he cuddled closer to her and experimentally brushed his lips against the skin of her neck. The resulting shiver that passed through her pleased him enough to do it again, and he was soon gently pressing small kisses to the side of her neck as she leaned her head away to give him better access.

She sighed as she let the project she was working on drop to her lap. "Gray-sama, you're being distracting…"

"Maybe I want to be distracting," he told her with a cheeky smile. "Haven't you been working on that long enough for now?"

Setting the project down on the coffee table, Juvia turned to face Gray more and smiled. "She could work on it some other time…" As their lips met, Juvia wrapped her arms around his neck as he put his hands on her hips. Her hands crept up into his hair and tugged on the thick black strands as she parted her lips beneath his.

After they spent some time exploring each other's mouths, Gray pulled back to catch his breath, and Juvia took the opportunity to try trailing her lips over his neck like he'd done to her. Letting out a soft groan as he gave her better access, he thought that if it had felt as good for her as it did for him, no wonder he was able to convince her to set aside her sewing so easily.

Gently directing her back to his lips, Gray then let his hands wander up her sides from her hips and over her back as she let her hands trace over his shoulders, both growing a bit bolder in the ways they touched each other though neither was heading for truly sensitive areas yet.

They made out like this for a while, losing themselves in each other, until Juvia realized that she was now touching bare skin that had previously been covered in cloth. She jumped back, blushing, as she realized that Gray had somehow lost his shirt. She looked away as an also blushing Gray cast around for his shirt and pulled it back on. "Um, it's getting late and Gray-sama had a tiring day… You should probably head back to the inn."

Gray frowned for a moment but couldn't deny the truth of her words. "Okay. Tomorrow's a rest day before the finals, so I'll get in touch with you in the morning once I come up with plans for the day."

She nodded and escorted him to the door. Before leaving he kissed her again, sweet and lingering. "Good night, Juvia."

"Good night, Gray-sama."

Gray smiled a little to himself as he headed back to the inn. As quiet as the evening he'd spent with Juvia had been, it had left him feeling quite content. Letting his mind drift, he started picturing what it would be like to come home from a mission to find Juvia cooking a delicious dinner, talk with her while eating it, relax with her before heading to bed together… That imagined life awoke such a craving to have it in him that he was surprised. But it wasn't some unreachable dream, it was a real possibility, if he could just find the courage to reach out and grasp it.

Coming to a decision, Gray started making plans.


	8. Chapter 7

When Juvia woke up the next morning, she was a little disappointed that she wouldn't be walking to the arena later with Gray, since there were no events that day, to give the participants the opportunity to be fully rested for the last event tomorrow. But she quickly shook the disappointment off, reminding herself that Gray had said he'd see her sometime today. And last night had been wonderful - they may not have done anything particularly special, but spending the evening together had felt… natural, as if it was the way things should be.

Letting out a happy sigh, Juvia got showered and dressed, then headed into her kitchen to start breakfast. Deciding on pancakes, she'd just gotten out the ingredients when she was startled by a knock on her door. Wondering who it was - perhaps Gray…? - she hurried over to open it, only to be greeted by a familiar piercing studded face.

"Yo," Gajeel greeted. "You need to tell your boyfriend I ain't his errand boy."

Ushering Gajeel inside, she questioned, "What did Gray-sama send you over here for?"

"He wanted me to let you know he's going to pick you up here at seven for dinner, but he doesn't expect to see you until then." As she shut the door behind him, Gajeel looked around her apartment. "Nice place you got here."

Remembering that only Gray had seen the inside of her apartment before this, she smiled at him. "Thank you. It has served Juvia well for the past few years." Glancing toward the kitchen, she continued, "Since Gajeel-kun is here, would he like to join Juvia for breakfast?"

"Sure," he answered as he started making himself at home on her couch. "That'll almost make the trip over here worth it."

Nodding, she returned to the kitchen and started pulling another egg out and getting a larger measuring cup to mix the batter in. "Juvia and Gajeel-kun can talk while they eat - she feels like she's barely seen you since the Games started!"

He snorted. "Maybe if you weren't letting the stripper monopolize your time, you'd've seen more of me."

She paused in her stirring of the batter to look back at Gajeel. "Ah, sorry, it's just-"

Waving her apology away, he said, "It's fine. I know he's important to you, and hey, now you're all dating or whatever, so it worked out good, yeah?"

Turning back to the batter, Juvia smiled. "Yes, it's all working out very well." Finished stirring, she tested the temperature of the skillet before pouring out the first two pancakes.

"Is he treating you right?" Gajeel asked. "Because if he ain't, I'll-"

She shook her head at him. "Gray-sama has been very kind to Juvia, and reassured her when she had doubts. She doesn't think Gajeel-kun has anything to worry about."

"Good," he said with a nod. "But let me know if that ever changes."

"Juvia will," she told him with an exasperated but fond sigh.

It was quiet for a few minutes as Juvia continued to cook. Judging that the first side was done cooking, she'd just flipped the pancakes when Gajeel said, "Y'know, tomorrow's the end of the Games, and we won't be in Crocus for much longer after that."

"Juvia knows," she acknowledged quietly.

"Have you decided what you're gonna do then?" There was no demand or pressure underlying that question, just simple curiosity.

She sighed, turning to face him. "Juvia isn't sure. She's leaning towards going back to Magnolia - she missed all of you, and of course there's Gray-sama, too, but…"

He nodded. "Well, you better get things figured out soon. No matter what you choose, though, you know we'll never leave you alone for good, right?"

Smiling, she turned back to the pancakes. "Juvia knows."

Once she had a pile of four pancakes on a plate, she delivered it and the syrup to Gajeel. As she started on some more pancakes for herself, she asked, "So, how did Gajeel-kun and Levy-san get together, anyhow?"

Gajeel found himself almost choking on a bite of pancake at the question. Once he managed to swallow it properly, he took a drink then turned to glare at Juvia. "What kinda question is _that_ , woman?!"

She shrugged. "Juvia would like to know. And since Gajeel-kun seems to think he gets to meddle in Juvia's relationship…"

He groaned. "What if I don't wanna tell you?!"

" _Please_ , Gajeel-kun…"

A bit more pestering got him to cave and tell her about it - how they both joined the Magic Council after Fairy Tail disbanded, and grew closer while working together there. How Gajeel finally confessed his feelings to Levy when he thought he was about to die, only to be miraculously saved.

"…And then I asked her to marry me a few months ago. Happy now?" Gajeel grumbled.

Putting the finishing touches on her plate of pancakes, Juvia smiled at him as she settled on the other end of the couch from him. "Very."

They chatted some more while they finished breakfast, mostly about jobs Gajeel had gone on in the past few years. Eventually noticing that Juvia's smile had gone a little sad, Gajeel asked, "Hey, you okay?"

She nodded. "It's just… bittersweet for Juvia to hear about mage jobs."

"Since you can't take 'em anymore?" he responded. Ah, you could always count on Gajeel to be blunt about things.

"Yes. Juvia has accepted that that part of her life is over, but she can't help but be a bit… wistful about it." She made herself smile brightly as she continued, "But that doesn't mean she doesn't want to hear about what you've been doing."

Gajeel nodded, but he still shifted to talking more about dumb antics their guild mates had pulled, which made her laugh.

Once Gajeel had left, Juvia decided to take some time to work on her embroidery project. If she might be leaving soon, it would be better for her to finish it sooner rather than later. But she had only been working on it for about an hour when she heard another knock on her door. "Juvia is popular today," she mused to herself as she made her way to the door.

"Hi, Juvia!" Meredy greeted her with a sunny smile from the other side of the door, and she couldn't help smiling back.

"Hello, Meredy! What brings you here?"

"Well, since I don't have much to do today, and I wanted to spend more time with you, I thought you could show me around Crocus some," Meredy told her.

"That sounds fun," she replied. "Just let Juvia put something away and her and Meredy can go."

Once they were out of the building, Meredy laced her hands together behind her back and gave Juvia a slightly teasing smile. "So, how are things going between you and Gray?"

A dreamy smile crossed Juvia's lips as she pressed her hands to her face. "Gray-sama and Juvia are officially dating now."

Her smile widening, Meredy said, "See? I told you he liked you. Didn't your dinner with me and Lyon feel like a double date?"

Now that she looked back on it… "Yes, it did," she admitted. "But wait, does that mean that you and Lyon _are_ …?"

"A couple? Yeah," Meredy acknowledged with a grin. "You didn't notice us flirting?"

"Juvia did, she just wasn't sure if you were actually together or not," she clarified.

Meredy nodded. "We've been dating for about half a year, though we usually try not to make to big a deal of it."

"Juvia's very glad you found such happiness, then," she told her with a smile.

Grinning back, Meredy said, "And I'm glad you and Gray have finally sorted yourselves out. It only took about a decade, if you include the time you lost on Tenrou Island."

"Well then, Juvia just hopes that Gray-sama won't take that long to marry her," she replied, still smiling.

"I don't think you'll have to worry about that," Meredy assured her.

The two of them continued to chat idly as Juvia showed her the sights of Crocus, as well as some more out of the way things. Remembering the serious girl she'd met on Tenrou Island, it made Juvia happy to see her like this, just having fun wandering through a city with a friend. Even after Meredy had left Grimoire Heart, she'd been on the run from the Magic Council, which had kept such carefree experiences out of her reach.

They ended up eating lunch at Juvia's favorite restaurant. The waitress serving them happened to be the same one that had served her and Gray when they had dined here. After greeting them, the waitress asked, "So, how did things go with that cute guy you were with a few days ago, dearie?"

Blushing a little, she replied, "It went well. Juvia is meeting him again for dinner tonight, actually."

The waitress smiled. "Glad to hear it, and glad to see you here with a friend, too. You always seemed a little lonely, coming in here by yourself. Now what can I get you two dears?"

After an enjoyable lunch, the pair stepped out the restaurant and back onto the streets of Crocus, discussing where they wanted to head next.

"Hey, it's Juvia! And Meredy's with her, too!"

Hearing her name being called, Juvia turned to find a group of familiar faces heading towards her. In the lead were Lucy, who had been the one to call out to her, and Erza. Accompanying them were Levy, Wendy, Charle, Chelia, Cana, Mirajane, and Lisanna.

When the group reached them, Erza explained quite seriously, "We are going to shop for dresses to wear to the celebration after the Grand Magic Games, to make sure we properly represent our guilds. You should join us."

A suggestion from Erza might as well be a command from anyone else. And who knew how an upset and pregnant Erza would react to being refused? After exchanging a look with Meredy, she smiled brightly and replied, "Sure, Juvia and Meredy would love to come along."

While it wasn't what she had been intending to do with her afternoon, Juvia found herself having fun looking through the clothing shops of Crocus for each girl's perfect dress. She hadn't had much reason to wear fancy dresses since coming to Crocus, so she'd had little reason to look through these shops. Mira had a good eye for fashion, probably gained through her numerous photo shoots for Sorcerer Weekly, and Juvia herself gave advice on what would fit the others' figures best from the knowledge she gained doing garment alterations for the past few years.

It turned out that Erza didn't actually need to buy a dress - she'd already had one tailored to accommodate her expanding waistline - she had just appointed herself in charge of the shopping expedition. Lucy wasn't planning to buy anything, either - since the celebration was for the end of the Grand Magic Games, she felt it would be most appropriate to come in something her Celestial Spirits provided her to wear.

Levy was the first one to settle on a dress. The one she choose was a warm brown that matched her eyes, high-necked with cap sleeves and a knee length skirt, fastened with a row of buttons running down the front. Though at first seeming demure, it was backless and slits on the sides ran halfway up Levy's thighs.

Cana chose something midriff baring, of course. Made of a teal fabric, the top was two strips of cloth connected to the skirt that passed over Cana's breasts, wrapped around each other just below her collarbone, and tied behind her neck. The skirt was a simple flared one that only reached to around the middle of Cana's thighs.

At fifteen, Wendy was finally starting to fill out more, though her taste in clothes still ran more towards cute than sexy. The dress she chose was pale pink, with a puffy knee-length skirt, a scoop neckline, and puff sleeves. Chelia, who had been looking through the racks nearby, said, "Hey! I found the same dress but in blue! We can dress to match, like when we perform as the Sky Sisters!" Wendy readily agreed.

As they were heading towards another store, Juvia saw something on the other side of the street that stopped her in her tracks. Gray and Loke were coming out of a jewelry store. Gray seemed irritated about something, and Loke appeared to be trying to encourage him. Noticing she had stopped, Lucy backtracked to her, asking, "Are you okay, Juvia?" Spotting what she was looking at, Lucy muttered, "Oh."

"Do you think Juvia should go join them? Perhaps Gray-sama could use her help…?" she wondered.

"No!" Juvia turned towards Lucy with a frown. Now that Lucy and Natsu were together, she thought that she wouldn't be a Love Rival anymore, but… "I-I mean, if he's trying to buy a gift for you then it would cause problems if you went over there, right?"

Realizing that what Lucy said made sense, she relaxed and smiled at her. "Right." Tilting her head, Juvia asked, "Did Lucy know Loke would be spending time with Gray-sama today?"

Lucy shrugged. "Gray asked to talk to Loke this morning, and afterwards Loke informed me he'd be out under his own power for a while, but he didn't tell me the specifics."

"Juvia sees…" Looking ahead towards the group that was getting farther away from them, she continued, "Juvia and Lucy should hurry before the others leave them behind." Lucy looked relieved to no longer be subject to Juvia's questioning as they walked briskly to catch back up to the others.

At the next store they visited, Meredy found the dress she wanted. The off the shoulder knee-length dress was made of a wine red fabric with subtle golden threads woven into it that matched a golden ribbon that was laced around the neckline and tied into a bow at her cleavage. It reminded Juvia a bit of the outfit Meredy had worn during the first Grand Magic Games she had attended.

Mirajane chose a dress in a midnight blue so dark that it was almost black. Ankle length, it had a sweetheart neckline and thick, ruched straps, and more ruching on the bodice down to where the skirt flared out past her hips. A thigh-high slit in one side of the skirt made the classic look a bit more daring. Curious, Juvia asked, "Mira-san didn't want to wear one of the many dresses she must have already to the party?"

Shaking her head with a gentle smile, Mira said, "It wouldn't do for me to wear something old to this kind of occasion." Then she returned to looking through the dresses, trying to find ones for those who hadn't chosen one yet.

Juvia was having trouble finding a dress for herself. She'd seen a few dresses she'd liked, but the others hadn't thought they were good enough - apparently they were determined to put her in something that would 'knock Gray's socks off' (as Cana phrased it). Eventually, Mira called out, "I think I've found Juvia's dress!"

When Juvia reached her and took a look at the dress Mira had picked out, she had to admit she was impressed. Ankle length, the dress was fitted from its straight neckline to the waist where a woven silver belt rested, then flared out. The fabric started off nearly white at the top, but then blues and greens reminiscent of the ocean bled into it, darkening down the length of the dress to become navy blue near the hem. The flowing skirt was made out of multiple layers of translucent fabric, the way they shifted over each other as they moved making it look even more like water. Lace just below the neckline resembled sea foam, and a pair of detached flared sleeves that also faded from white to navy down their length completed the dress.

Juvia bit her lip. It was lovely, but…

"You will look like a water goddess in this," Erza commented with a nod. "How fitting."

"Is it really?" she asked, her voice small and weak. "Since Juvia can't…"

Cana wrapped an arm around her shoulders in a sideways hug. "Of course it is! Just 'cause you lost your magic doesn't mean you're not still our water babe."

As the others chorused their agreement, she started to tear up a bit. What had she ever done to deserve such friends? "Juvia will try it on, then."

When Juvia put the dress on, she found that it fit surprisingly well. It wouldn't take much adjustment at all to fit perfectly. Looking in the mirror, she liked the way it looked on her, but she still felt a little nervous when she left the dressing room to show the others. She needn't have worried, though, for their reactions upon seeing her in the dress were quite gratifying. "You are getting this dress," Erza declared.

Looking down, she responded, "Juvia doesn't know if she can afford one this nice…"

Waving off her concern, Lucy told her, "Don't worry about the cost, we'll pitch in together to get it for you. Consider it us making up for three years of missed birthday presents."

Looking up, she gave them all a watery, grateful smile. "Thank you very much."

After she had taken the dress back off, Mira asked, "Do you have accessories to go with it?"

She nodded. "Juvia has a nice silver purse and some strappy silver heels that should coordinate nicely with the belt, and some pearl jewelry…"

"Good. Now let's see if we can finally find my sister something…"

It didn't take them too much longer to locate a dress for Lisanna - a warm pale yellow, it had a halter neck and a knee-length skirt, simple but suiting her. Charle was the last of their group to select a dress, finally settling on a dark green one with a pleated, knee-length skirt, long sleeves, and a cowl neckline.

By the time they were done shopping, Juvia was feeling tired, so she headed home and took a nap before showering and getting ready for her date with Gray. This time Gray took her out to a nice but not too fancy restaurant for dinner. Going out on dates with Gray wasn't like her overblown fantasies from years before - not that she'd ever really expected it to be, even back then - but that didn't keep her from being quite happy to just spend time with Gray… and sometimes even get kissed by Gray. While the prospect of picking her life up and moving back to Magnolia was still a little daunting, she knew she didn't want to let go of the reformed bond between them.

The next morning, Gray walked with her to Domus Flau for the last time… that year, at least. They didn't talk a lot as they traveled the familiar path through Crocus, but it wasn't the awkward silence that they'd struggled with the first time they'd made this trip. Instead they'd regained the comfortableness they'd once had with each other, letting them enjoy simply being together.

After they entered the arena proper, at the split between the stairs to the main seating and the path to the box for the team, Juvia couldn't quite look him in the eye as she asked, "Would Gray-sama like one last good luck kiss?"

Smiling, he leaned down towards her. "It's almost a tradition at this point, isn't it?"

Reaching up, she wrapped her arms around his neck as his lips descended upon hers. Threading her fingers into his thick dark locks, she let herself get caught up in kissing Gray, the motions of his mouth against her sending little sparks shooting through her.

They were so enmeshed in each other that they didn't realize that they were no longer alone until someone cleared their throat next to them, followed by, "Oi, popsicle! We gotta get a move on!"

Jumping apart, both of their faces were flushed, though Juvia stared at the floor while Gray sent a nasty glare in Natsu's direction. "Couldn't you see I was busy, you flaming shithead?"

Shoving Gray towards the team's box, Natsu retorted, "I don't care, we gotta be ready for when they start the last challenge. We ain't gonna lose just 'cause of your slow ass!"

Continuing to argue and push each other around, the pair of them left the area. Lucy, who had arrived with Natsu, mouthed 'Sorry' to Juvia before following them. Juvia took a couple of minutes to let her blush die down before heading up to join the rest of the guild.

There was a palpable feeling of excitement in the arena as they waited for the last day of the Games to start - today is when it would all be decided. Juvia was pleased to see that many in the stands were expressing support for Fairy Tail.

The hubbub of the crowd died down to a low murmur as the announcers came on the PA system. "Welcome to the fifth and final day of this year's Grand Magic Games! Before we start, let's have a run down of our current standings…! First up, Fairy Tail has regained first place with a score of sixty points! Hot behind them is Sabertooth with fifty-six points! Lamia Scale is in third with forty-four points! Blue Pegasus remains in fourth place with forty points! Holding on to fifth place is Mermaid Heel with thirty points! And trailing in last place is Quattro Cerberus with sixteen points!

"But all teams still have a path to victory…! The last event is actually five events in one! Here in this arena and in four other locations spread out around the city, one member from each team will compete in a free-for-all battle! The longer you last, the more points you win for your team!"

With a wave of his arm, the announcer made lacrima screens appear displaying the other four battle locations. On them, groups of mages could be seen entering the contest areas, while the ones remaining in the arena filed in as well. "All participants have been sent to their assigned locations! The five matches will start in five… four… three… two… one… GO!"

A flurry of action immediately burst into being both in the arena and on the screens, and more than a few mages ended up getting taken down in the first few seconds. The most adept mages used the chaos to their advantage, manipulating the weaker opponents into taking each other out. All of those gathered to watch shouted encouragement to their favorites as the numbers of active mages in each location dwindled and the fights became more serious.

In the middle of the arena Kagura and Minerva were going head to head, while Mirajane was about to deliver the final blow to Jenny Realight. Lucy and Yukino were having a contest of Celestial Spirit Magic in another location, while Meredy fought Milliana nearby, carefully evading her magic negating tubing while striking at her with her psionic blades. Bacchus found himself at somewhat of a disadvantage facing Rogue, who could melt into the shadows, and Gajeel, who could protect himself with painfully hard and sharp iron scales, in a three way fight. Sting was taunting Natsu playfully, while Yuka from Lamia Scale was up against Ichiya.

But the fight receiving the lion's share of Juvia's attention was the one Gray was in. Or should that be Lyon's share, considering he was there as well? The two of them seemed to have formed some kind of temporary alliance, as they both went after Sabertooth's Rufus. Splitting his attention between the two Ice-Make mages made it harder for Rufus to use his Memory Make magic to dispel their creations, and he ended up getting hit by attacks from both sides and going down.

Once Rufus was out, the broadcast lacrima caught Lyon turning to Gray with a grin and shouting, "Now we can really see who the best Ice-Maker is!"

"Bring it!" Gray shot back. Myriad ice creations were sent forth, Lyon molding eagles and tigers, bears and apes, while Gray countered with lances and arrows, swords and cannons, and vice versa. The sheer volume of creations they were making as well as the damage from the attacks that made it through gradually wore them out.

It was looking like their battle would end in a draw when Gray smirked and said, "Sorry, Lyon, but it looks like I've gotta resort to this." And with that, he picked a chunk of ice leftover from one of Lyon's shattered creations and bit into it. After chowing down on it, Gray wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and smirked again, looking reenergized. "That actually didn't taste half-bad."

His eyes widening as he realized what Gray had just done, Lyon shouted, "That's cheating!" His strength restored, Gray's next volley of attacks smashed through the shield Lyon erected and knocked him to the ground.

The other matches were finishing, too. Kagura had actually managed to take out Minerva, but the effort had weakened her enough for Mirajane to seize the upper hand against her. Lucy had beaten Yukino and Meredy had taken out Milliana, and while Lucy put up a good fight, Meredy used her Sensory Link to turn Lucy's Spirits into a disadvantage and managed to edge out a win. After Bacchus went down, Gajeel and Rogue battled it out, with Gajeel gaining a narrow victory. Ichiya had the strength to take Yuka out, but ended up getting flattened when Natsu threw Sting on top of him. Sting fought for a bit longer after that, but Natsu eventually got him to stay down.

Once all of the points were tabulated, the final standings were announced, with Fairy Tail coming in in first place overall. Lamia Scale had narrowed the gap but couldn't manage to unseat Sabertooth for second place. Blue Pegasus, Mermaid Heel, and Quattro Cerberus followed them in a fairly predictable order.

Upon hearing the results, Fairy Tail went wild, screaming and crying and hugging each other, with Juvia joining in just as enthusiastically as the rest of them. As they started planning a private bash for that night ahead of the more formal party planned for the next evening, Juvia felt an irreplaceable feeling of warmth swelling inside of her, and she wondered how she'd managed to go for so long without having these wonderfully crazy people in her life.


	9. Chapter 8

Most of the women of Fairy Tail had agreed to prepare for the victory celebration together - if you had the opportunity to avail yourself of the services of a hairdresser whose abilities were literally magical, why not take advantage of it, right? And both Mira and Evergreen were very good with makeup, too. Putting on the dress she'd bought, Juvia was once again awed by the way she looked in it.

Coming up next to her with Cancer in tow, Lucy said, "I have a suggestion about how to do your hair tonight." Lucy was already dressed in her outfit for the night - a fancy calf-length dress with two layers that Juvia remembered from when Lucy wore it while they were in the Tower of Heaven.

Looking over at her, Juvia saw that Lucy was holding a hairnet made of silver threads and pearls in her hands. Reaching out to gently touch it, Juvia said, "This is lovely, Lucy. Where did you get it?"

"Apparently Aquarius heard that you were going to be at the party tonight, so she sent it along with Virgo when she brought my clothes for the night," Lucy explained. "She expects it back afterwards, though.

Turning to Cancer, she said, "Please let Aquarius-san know that Juvia is very grateful that she is letting Juvia borrow this."

"Will do, ebi," Cancer replied. "Now let me use it to make you shine tonight." She patiently held still while he gathered her hair into the net and pinned it in place, then curled the locks of hair that he left outside of it with her bangs to frame her face. Juvia thanked him when he was done, and put a pair of simple pearl drop earrings in her ears and a silver chain necklace with pearls dangling from it around her neck.

After getting some help from Evergreen with her makeup, she put on the pair of silver strappy heels she'd brought to complete her outfit. Getting up and moving away from the mirror, she enjoyed the way the full skirts of her dress swished around her legs. A few of the other ladies who were finished were loitering outside of Lucy's hotel room, so Juvia joined them.

"You look lovely, Juvia," Erza told her. Erza was wearing a deep red dress with an empire waist to help accommodate her growing stomach, and looked as beautiful as ever, which Juvia made sure to tell her.

"I think a certain guy is gonna have trouble taking his eyes off of you tonight," Cana teased.

Blushing and looking down, she replied, "Juvia hopes so."

Placing a hand on her shoulder, Erza reassured her, "I'm sure Gray will appreciate your appearance tonight." Juvia smiled at her, and they continued to chat until the rest of the group was ready to go.

The victory celebration was being held in Crocus's central square. Strings of lights were hanging between trees, and a set of pavilions holding food were set up in a semicircle to one side of the large crystal in the middle of the square, while on the other side a band was set up, playing classical music softly for now. Those men of Fairy Tail who had wives or girlfriends in the large group who had gotten ready for the party together had agreed to meet them just past one of the eight arches that lead into the plaza.

An impatient looking Natsu was the first to notice their arrival, and bounded over to them with a "Yo, Lucy!" As Lucy let out a fond but exasperated sigh, the rest of the men turned towards the approaching group, and Juvia's heart skipped a beat when Gray's eyes widened at the sight of her.

Feeling a little shy, Juvia walked over to Gray and stopped in front of him. Peeking up at him from underneath her lashes, she asked, "Do you like it?"

"You look…" Seemingly at a loss for words, for some reason he turned and gave Lucy an irritated glare, which Lucy responded to with a smug grin. She could see a hint of a blush on his cheeks as he looked back her. "Uh, anyway, shouldn't we be getting to the party?" Turning towards it, he held out his arm for her to take.

Smiling, she wrapped her arm around his and let him lead the way. Along with the rest of the Fairy Tail mages, they descended upon the banquet tables and carried plates of food to the dining area set up between them and the crystal. As they ate, various people came up to congratulate the guild on their victory in the Games, particularly those that had been on the team.

The music shifted to something more appropriate to dance to, and Juvia watched those who chose to dance on the dance floor that had been constructed in the area between the band and the crystal. She became so absorbed in observing the dancers that she was a bit startled when Gray tapped her on the shoulder. "You want to go join them, don't you?"

Looking down and fidgeting with her skirts, she replied, "Um, well, yes, but…"

Juvia looked up as Gray stood up and offered his hand to her. "I don't like dancing, so don't expect me to do this very often, but this time…"

Her face lit up with a brilliant smile as she took his hand and stood. "Thank you, Gray-sama."

He shrugged as he lead her to the dance floor, looking a little uncomfortable. "It's not a big deal. They don't expect you to do anything too crazy at these fancy parties, anyway."

Somewhat gingerly, Gray placed his hands on her waist and pulled her closer, while Juvia wrapped her arms loosely around his neck. As Juvia looked up at him while they slowly stepped in time to the music, she enjoyed feeling the warmth of his body close to her and his arms around her.

Juvia could've happily spent the rest of the night dancing with Gray, but after a few dances, he pulled away and led her off the dance floor. Looking at him curiously, she asked, "Where is Gray-sama taking Juvia?"

"I'm trying to find us somewhere quiet," he told her, seeming a bit distracted. Juvia's cheeks flushed as she thought about what he might want to do with her once they were alone. Spotting a bench near the trees lining the square, Gray led her over to it. "This looks like a good place to talk."

Her romantic fantasies dispersing after finding out what Gray actually wanted to do, she smoothed her skirts under her as she sat down, Gray taking a seat on the bench next to her and turning towards her. "What does Gray want to talk about?"

"When we first met again just before the Grand Magic Games, you told me you would have a decision about what you wanted to do after they were over," he stated, his attention fully focused on her.

"And Gray-sama wants to know what Juvia has decided to do," she replied.

"Yeah."

She looked up at the night sky, the stars faintly shining past the glow of the lights for the party. "Juvia doesn't want to be parted from the guild again. She wants to spend more time with Gray-sama like this," she told him. "But Juvia isn't sure how soon she'll be able to leave Crocus for Magnolia - she'll need to find a job, and get a place to stay…"

"I'm glad to hear that you want to come home with us," Gray told her earnestly. "As for things like keeping a roof over your head, well… I have something I'd like to ask you, and your answer may help us find a solution to that."

Puzzled as to what he might be getting at, Juvia watched as he brought his hands into the familiar position he used when making things with his magic. The formation of what he was making seemed to take an unusually long time, but he eventually finished and lifted his fist to reveal… a ring? Looking directly into her eyes, he asked, "Marry me, Juvia?"

Her eyes must have been as large as saucers as she stared at him in shock. "Juvia- Juvia just met Gray-sama again a few days ago…"

He sighed, his hand holding the ring still stretched out towards her. "I know it hasn't been that long since we reunited, but… In the time we've spent getting to know each other again, I've realized that while things might be a little different now, the most important thing - the bond between us - is still there. And I've made up my mind that the future I want to have is one where you're there by my side."

He looked down at the ring he was holding. "We lost three years we could have had together to misunderstandings. I just didn't want to waste any more time." His fingers curled up around the ring as he began to draw his hand back. "But I can understand if you're not ready yet, I can-"

She reached out and placed her hand on top of the one holding the ring, feeling tears welling in her eyes as she tried to find her voice. "Juvia accepts," she managed to mumble.

Looking up at her, he said, "Huh?"

Clearing her throat, she tried again. "Juvia wants to marry you." Her voice came out better this time, and she watched surprise flash briefly across his face before he gave her a relieved smile.

"Hold out your hand, then," he said. She did as he asked, and watched with wonder as he slipped the ring onto her finger. Curiously not as cold as she would have expected for something made out of ice, the band was formed into two delicately carved waves holding a heart-shaped 'gem' between them. It was beautiful.

"Won't- won't it melt eventually?" she asked hesitantly.

Gray shook his head. "It's more taxing, but it's possible to make objects that can last indefinitely with Ice-Make."

She nodded - that likely also explained why it took him so long to make something so small. "Juvia loves it."

"I'm glad - I looked everywhere in Crocus trying to find a ring for you, but nothing seemed right," he told her, a look of remembered frustration on his face. "Eventually Loke suggested I just make you something if I couldn't find anything I liked."

"Juvia spotted the two of you in Crocus while she was shopping for her dress," she commented, then blinked. "Does that that mean Loke-san knew Gray-sama was going to…?"

"Yeah," he confirmed, looking away from her. "I wanted some advice about what to get you and all, and he seemed like the best choice. Lucy knew, too, I kinda had to tell her so I could get her to let me talk to Loke." Well, that explained why Lucy had been insistent that Juvia shouldn't join Gray that day. He continued, "I also asked her to make sure you had something nice to wear tonight, but I wasn't expecting…" He waved a hand to indicate her entire appearance.

Her cheeks flushed a little but she leaned closer. "So Gray-sama really does like how Juvia looks tonight."

"Yeah," he said lowly as he leaned in as well, his lips brushing her ear. "You wouldn't believe how much I've been wanting to kiss you since I first saw you tonight."

Glancing away, she whispered, "No one's paying attention right now…"

Pulling back a little, he cupped her cheek with a hand and pressed his lips to hers, the kiss slow, gentle, and lingering. Resting his forehead on hers afterward, he murmured, "We should probably head back to the party before someone comes looking for us."

Gray made as if to get up from the bench, but she grabbed onto his hand, stopping him. "Gray-sama never explained what asking Juvia to marry him had to do with her having a place to stay in Magnolia."

"Oh, yeah." He scratched the back of his head, looking a little sheepish. "Well, I thought you could come live with me, now that we're gonna…"

"Ah, that makes sense," she replied. "Um, how soon does Gray-sama want to get married?"

With a shrug, he answered, "Whenever you think would be a good time. We know where we stand with each other now - we don't have to rush to have the ceremony."

Juvia nodded. "A spring wedding with many, many flowers would be lovely…" she mused.

He shook his head at her with a smile as he stood. "You can make plans later. Now c'mon."

Smiling back at him, she got up from the bench as well and let him lead her back towards the party. As they approached a number of their guildmates who were standing around talking, Lucy caught sight of them together looking happy and grinned. Turning to Gray, she said, "I take it you asked her?"

Gray gave her a brief nod, and Juvia shyly held out her hand for Lucy to look at her ring. "It's gorgeous, nice job, Gray!"

"Wait, what's going on?" a somewhat confused Natsu asked.

"Gray and Juvia got engaged!" Lucy explained excitedly into a lull in the party, causing everyone to turn to look at them as they registered what Lucy had said.

"Bold move, Gray!" Cana shouted with a pleased laugh.

Erza beamed at them. "Congratulations to you both!"

More congratulations followed after that, and Juvia could tell that Gray was a bit uncomfortable with all of the attention. Discreetly taking his hand, she gave it a gentle squeeze, causing him to turn towards her a little and give her a brief smile.

As they were receiving the last of the congratulations from members of Fairy Tail, Lyon and Meredy showed up, apparently drawn over by the commotion. They looked good together, the gold accents on Lyon's blue suit matching those of Meredy's dress. "What's all this?" Lyon inquired.

"I asked Juvia to marry me," Gray told Lyon simply, and Juvia held out her hand to show off her ring (for what seemed like the millionth time that night).

"That's wonderful!" Meredy cried with glee. Giving Juvia a sly grin, she continued, "Looks like I was right about it not taking another decade."

"Yes, you were," Juvia agreed with a smile.

"I hope you will be very happy together," Lyon told Juvia sincerely. Turning to Gray, he commented, "Looks like you found your confidence."

"I did," Gray acknowledged.

Smirking at him, Lyon said, "Then there may be hope for you yet."

Gray scoffed at that, but couldn't entirely keep a smile off his face.

The party continued with drinking and laughter, and the occasional narrowly avoided brawl between guild members or guilds. As the hour grew late, Juvia began to grow tired - she wasn't used to staying out late at parties like this anymore. Apparently noticing her state, Gray asked, "Would you like me to walk you home?"

"If you would please, Gray-sama," she replied.

The walk back to her apartment was quiet and peaceful as they left the noise of the party behind and made their way through the darkened streets of the city. The night was pleasantly cool and she had her arms wrapped around one of Gray's, leaning her head against his shoulder as they walked. Once they reached her building, she pulled away and turned to face him. As she looked up at him, she felt like there was so much she wanted to say to him but she couldn't find the words.

"How soon do you think you can get everything taken care of to leave for Magnolia?" he asked, making her blink at the unexpected question.

"Um, Juvia just paid her rent at the beginning of the month, so her landlord should be okay with her leaving at any time…" she thought out loud. "She hopes her boss will be understanding about her wanting to quit with so little notice. Other than that, it'll take her a bit of time to pack everything up. If she's going to be staying with you, she won't need most of her furniture…"

He nodded. "I'll be staying to help you get it all ready, then. At least if you don't mind me sleeping on your couch for a night or two, anyway."

"Juvia would appreciate that." Silence fell over them for a long moment. Trying again to put what she was feeling into words, she burst out with, "Juvia loves you!"

Gray looked a little taken aback by her outburst, and she flushed and looked away. More quietly, she continued, "Juvia loves you very much, and… the thought of getting to spend the rest of her life with you makes her very happy. For so long, she thought that was an impossible dream, but… Juvia never stopped wanting it to happen in the depths of her heart. And now that it's going to come true, Juvia doesn't know what to do with herself…"

His eyes had gone softer as he listened to her confession. Once she was finished, he wrapped his arms around her and drew her to him. "It is kinda overwhelming, isn't it? Getting something you've been wanting for a long time, but you weren't sure would ever happen. But we're really here, together. And I- I, too…"

Pulling away a little, she could see that he was struggling with what he was trying to say. Reaching up, she placed a gentle finger on his lips, making him fall silent. "It's okay if Gray-sama can't bring himself to say it. His actions since he met Juvia again have spoken enough about what is in his heart."

Gently pulling her hand away, he smiled a bit ruefully down at her. "As long as you know… And if it's actions you want…" leaning down, he pressed his lips to hers again. The kiss started out with slow, sweet, gentle brushes of their lips together, but as it continued and Juvia wound her arms around his neck, more and more heat and passion seeped into it, until they were clutching at each other as their mouths moved against each other. When they eventually pulled away they were both breathing heavily.

Smiling up at him, she told him, "You should go, it's late."

"Yeah," he agreed, but couldn't resist stealing another kiss before pulling fully away. "See you tomorrow."

Once he was gone, Juvia looked down at the ring on her hand before cradling it to her chest, smiling giddily as she turned to enter her building.


	10. Epilogue

The day after the victory celebration, the other guild members took trains or carriages back to Magnolia, and Gray and Juvia made sure to be there to see them off. Juvia had been correct that ending her apartment lease wouldn't be a problem. Juvia's boss at the tailoring shop was sad to see her go, but happily congratulated her on her engagement - she'd long thought that Juvia kept to herself too much. And while Juvia hadn't been particularly close to any of her coworkers, she had to admit she'd miss them a bit.

After going over what was in her apartment and the amount of space Gray had in his, they decided that most of Juvia's furniture would be sold to a thrift store before they left, bringing only a sewing desk and some shelves with them. They started packing up in the living room, and got that room pretty much finished before calling it a night. Juvia's couch wasn't the most comfortable place to sleep, but Gray made due.

The next day, after eating breakfast together on the couch, they went to work on the rest of the packing. Dishes were carefully wrapped and pans were packed away in the kitchen (Gray had admitted his kitchen wasn't particularly well stocked). After they were finished in there, the next room to tackle was Juvia's bedroom.

Gray was a little cautious when entering it - it was the first time he'd ever been in a woman's bedroom, after all. Looking around, he saw the style of furnishings matched the rest of the apartment, and the bed was covered by a fluffy comforter. As Juvia started cleaning out her sewing desk, Gray moved to start packing away what was in the dresser when he stopped short.

Sitting on top of the dresser was a small doll, with messy black hair and a familiar guildmark on its cloth chest. Picking it up, it seemed to have been made by hand and with great care. "What's this?" he asked.

Looking up from what she was doing, Juvia blushed when she saw what was in his hands. "Um, uh, Juvia used to make dolls… and other things with Gray-sama's face on them…" she explained. "But she hasn't done that for years!" she added hastily.

"So what's the story with this guy, then?" He raised the doll in his hand for emphasis.

She walked over to him and gently took the doll from him, looking down at it with a tender expression. "This is the first Gray-sama doll Juvia ever made. Even when she got rid of all the others, she couldn't bear to part with this one."

Looking at her holding the doll, he said slowly, "Y'know… Maybe you should make more of those things, of some of the other guild members." When she looked up at him questioningly, he shrugged. "Max still has that store that sells guild merchandise. Maybe some people would want them, and you could make some money that way."

Looking at the doll in her hands consideringly, she replied, "Juvia isn't sure. These take a while to make, and she doesn't want to spend all of her time working on them. Besides, she doesn't like the thought of other women having dolls of Gray-sama."

He stifled a chuckle - her jealousy could be a little cute as long as it was on this level. "Well, maybe you could at least make a Juvia one to go with this guy." Avoiding her eyes, he looked down at the doll in her hands. "A Gray without a Juvia gets kinda lonely, y'know?"

After a moment, a smile spread across her lips. "If Gray-sama wants a Juvia doll to cuddle, she can't deny him that."

"That's not what I meant!" he protested, blushing, and she giggled as she went back to packing. Grabbing a box and starting to fill it, he couldn't keep from smiling, just a little.

Once everything was packed, they rented a carriage and delivered everything they were selling to the thrift store. After that, they returned to her apartment and loaded everything they were taking into it. They'd probably have to stop overnight somewhere, but they both thought that the sooner they got to Magnolia, the better. As they seated themselves in the carriage and asked the driver to get started towards Magnolia, they were both looking forward to their new life together.


End file.
